Young people ages 8-17 will have a chance to take to the skies ofrom 8 a.m. to noon Saturday as Experimental Aircraft Association Vintage Chapter 13 hosts a Young Eagles Flight Rally at Albert Lea Municipal Airport.

The rally is part of the EAA Young Eagles Program, created to interest young people in aviation. Since the program was launched in 1992, volunteer EAA pilots have flown more than 1.6 million young people who reside in more than 90 countries. Vintage Chapter 13 in Albert has flown 886 of those young eagles to date.

“Free airplane rides are just part of the Flight Rally,” said Chuck Sandager, spokesman for the event. “We hope to build one-to-one relationships between pilots and young people, giving a new generation a chance to learn more about the possibilities that exist in the world of aviation.”

Pilots at the event will also explain more about their airplanes allowing young people to discover how airplanes work and how pilots ensure safety is the prime concern before every flight.

Following the flight, each young person, will receive a certificate making them an official Young Eagle. Their name will then be entered into the “World’s Largest Logbook,” which is on permanent display at the EAA Air Adventure Museum in Oshkosh, Wis. The Logbook is also accessible on the web at www.youngeagles.org.

Along with flight rallies, EAA members also fly Young Eagles on an individual basis. Each pilot volunteers their time and aircraft so the flights can be provided free of charge for interested young people.

Those attending the flight rally on Saturday are asked to come to the Albert Lea airport maintenance hangar, starting at 7:30 a.m. to register for their flight. Flights will begin at 8 a.m., with registration closing at noon. Contact Chuck Sandager at sandager@usfamily.net  or Jeffrey Cookle at jeffreycookle@netscape.net if you would like additional information.

Information about EAA and the EAA Young Eagles program is available on the Internet. Access to EAA’s Home Page is available at www.eaa.org. The Young Eagles web page is www.youngeagles.org.