Ronan fly-in pilots gives free flights to 83 youth
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RONAN – Eighty-three youngsters ages 8 to 17 interested in planes, aviation and adventure visited the Ronan Airport on Saturday, Aug. 6 to receive a free plane ride at the Young Eagles event held over Pioneer Days weekend. Throughout the summer, the Lake County Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) provides a pancake breakfast and free, 20-minute flights at Fly-In events in Polson, St. Ignatius, and Ronan in an attempt to get children interested in aviation.
On Saturday, youngsters who flew got to view Mission Mountain range, Ninepipes Reservoir, and Pablo Reservoir from 1,000 feet above the ground.
“One or two kids today will become a pilot, hopefully more,” EAA member Ron Normandeau said.
Normandeau said he discovered his love for flying years ago in a similar way to the children he instructed on Saturday.
“When I was in high school I wanted to take up skin diving in Flathead Lake,” Normandeau said. “My mother encouraged me to take a flight, and here I am.”
Local pilots Carmine Mowbray, Chuck Jarecki, Trey Moran, Neis Jensen, and Mike Hines flew their planes for the event this past weekend. For Hines, it was his first experience flying for the Young Eagles event.
“He was pumped for flying the kids,” Moran said.
According to event coordinator Mauri Morin, the event got off to a late start due to the volume of children awaiting their flights.
“It was a little chaotic at first,” Morin laughed. “We started at 8:30 and were flying kids all the way until noon. We weren’t used to the large crowd.”
Morin says no fly-in was scheduled in 2010 due to only two individuals signing up. After being asked to hold a fly-in during Pioneer Days, Morin says they decided to see how successful it would be.
“It was much larger than ever anticipated,” Morin said.
By holding fly-ins, Morin says he wants children to get a good feeling of airplanes and aviation, and hopefully key their interest for future flying.
“Repeat offenders” are those who keep coming back year after year to experience the free flights, and are most likely to pursue aviation in the future. According to Morin, 10-15 percent of the youngsters at Ronan Airport on Saturday were repeat offenders.
“We will definitely be back next year on the weekend of Pioneer Days,” Morin said.
Young Eagles does more than provide free flights through chapters across the country, as they avidly promote various other opportunities to further knowledge and interest in the field.
“The EAA has programs for kids who want to go further,” Morin said. “To help their progress the EAA has flying videos, ground school, academies, and grants.”
The EAA also has scholarships and internships for children ages 12-18.
For more information on the program visit www.youngeagles.org.
