One local pilot has given more than 200 kids a free demonstration airplane ride and introduced them to aviation. Tim Swift has given the free plane rides as part of the EAA Young Eagles program. Swift has a two-person airplane that gives kids a birds-eye view of their communities.

The program began in 1992 and has flown more than 2,000,000 young people with the goal of allowing youth to experience positive activities and discover the possibilities available within the world of aviation. Swift tells KCII News that the aviation field is growing and could lead to a career, “I’d say the job prospects are getting very good right now, because well there’s a big need for pilots right now. And there’s not only pilots, but everything else in the aviation career, they could be in the weather, they could be in the designing planes being an engineer. I do have a brother who happens to be an aeronautical engineer and has enjoyed that field. And there’s a lot of opportunities for flying. Statistics show that there’s going to be a lot more in the future, so I think it’s a promising prospect.”

He says that the free flights in the Washington area usually occur in September or October. And he’ll be ready to give more kids the chance to fly.