By Tim Ruzek

Post-Bulletin, Austin MN 

Some kids get excited while taking off into the skies above Austin.

In one trip, three girls screamed and laughed throughout the free flight, local pilot Mike Bibus said.

Now other children, ages 8 to 17, can get the same chance Saturday afternoon to experience flying at no charge. Kids need to be accompanied by a parent or guardian to sign a release form, said Bibus, one of the event's three pilots who will be flying Cessna planes.

Members of the Experimental Aircraft Association's Austin chapter are offering the free flights at Austin Municipal Airport as part of International Young Eagles Day, which is in June but had to be rescheduled for Austin because of bad weather. It's part of the EAA's ongoing program to introduce young people to aviation, which is operated on a year-round basis.

"It's a lot of fun to see the excitement they have," Bibus said.

Each plane can take up to three children and typically goes on trips lasting up to 20 minutes, making a big circle around Austin, Bibus said. Organizers of the event would prefer to fly children who never have been in a plane, he said.

Since the program started in 1992, more than 1.3 million young people have taken a free airplane flight, according to a news release. Last year's event internationally took more than 6,000 children on a flight.

Bibus, the local chapter's Young Eagles coordinator who has been flying for 27 years, said the Austin group has participated in the event almost every year since 1992, attracting about 60 to 70 kids each year.

During each flight, pilots demonstrate how airplanes fly and preparations for a safe flight.

Each Young Eagle gets a certificate signed by the pilot celebrating the event.

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