The 100 Mile House Flying Club is holding its 4th annual Free Kids Fly Day.
Local students from Grade 8 to 12 are invited to come down to the 100 Mile House airport starting at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 29, for free 15 to 20-minute flights.
Ursula Hart, the club’s treasurer, said the idea is to open students to the possibility of aviation as a career path.
“Seeing the Cariboo from a bird’s eye view is pretty privileged.”
She said she grew up in this area, but didn’t fully appreciate it’s beauty until she flew over it.
“You have no idea that this is just a basin of lakes interconnected with rivers and creeks and rolling hills.”
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She said every time she takes kids up they fall more in love with their hometown.
The pilots try to personalize each flight with the kids, taking them over the areas they live.
This way, they see the big picture, then zoom in so they can see the trampoline in their backyard.
“It certainly is an opportunity for them to see their backyard from a different perspective,” she said.
“We do a really nice, gentle ride for them, and because it’s a small airplane, they can see all the controls. They can see the yoke and then we talk about the elevator and the flaps and rudder.”
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The lucky child in the passenger seat sometimes even gets to fly the plane for a little bit, she said.
The club will have three small, single-engine Cessna 172 planes running in the morning, then two in the afternoon.
Each plane will be able to take three students up at a time.
The club is looking to offer a new experience, so children who have come out for the event before will be asked for a $20 donation to the flying club. Otherwise, first-time flyers will be taken up for free.
The flying club has a rich history in 100 Mile House. According to Hart, the club is about as old as the town and one of the oldest clubs of its kind in the province.
“It’s one of the only places where there is an airplane that is available for rental without a really large financial contribution, which is pretty amazing,” she said.
Anybody interested in learning about joining the flying club is also welcome to come to the event and check things out. You can also phone Hart at 250-945-9693 for more information.
This event is being sponsored in part by the Cariboo Regional District and the District of 100 Mile House.
beth.audet@100milefreepress.net
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