Seven-month-old Nicholas Ridding has Spina Bifida. His mom is hosting a fundraising walk in his honour.

From right, Austin Nolan, Liam Dau, Curtis Heavrin and pilot Doug Raine after taking flight in the Young Eagles program. Each were given certificates for participating in the program over the weekend.

By Lindsey Cole
The Oshawa Express

The look of excitement on nine-year-old Laryssa Johnson’s face was priceless.
As she stepped up on the plane’s wing and stepped inside the plane her eyes sparkled.
She had never been in a plane until the Oshawa Young Eagles event. For pilot Doug Raine, who runs the event, this is what it is all about.
Despite the cloudy skies, around eight planes flew in and out of the Oshawa Municipal Airport, all the while teaching kids the ins and outs of aviation.
“Everyone that I took enjoyed it,” adds Raine.
“Kids get a little hands on time.”
Children from ages eight to 17 participated in the Young Eagles event, which included an instructional lecture on the basics of flight and the workings of an airplane.
After their safety briefing they were able to soar in the sky on a flight around Oshawa, then they were given a certificate for their experience.
For pilot Bruce Wood one boy stood out in particular. While he couldn’t recall his name, he said he was an Oshawa Express Carrier who really knew how to fly a plane.
He was a natural, Wood adds.
“That young lad had his eyes as big as saucers,” he says, adding at the end of the ride the boy told him he wanted to be a pilot.
“That was an impactful trip for him. It’s just marvelous. For most pilots it’s their favourite time of the year. It’s an opportunity to make a difference.”
The Young Eagles event is an international program run by the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) that provides a motivational aviation experience, focusing on providing a demonstration flight in an airplane.
The pilots donate their time and aircraft.
To date 1,526,923 children have participated worldwide with more than 6,300 in Oshawa.
For more information visit www.youngeagles.com.