On Saturday, September 10, 2011, between 9:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m., the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) will provide airplane rides for young people ages 8 to 17 at the St. Mary's County Regional Airport terminal building. The flight is free, safe and flown by FAA licensed and experienced volunteer pilots. All registration for flights will be taken on a first come, first served basis, by 9 a.m., and are subject to the suitability of weather.

The program is being sponsored by the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) Chapter 478 based in St. Mary's and is supported by the Board of County Commissioners for St. Mary's County, the Department of Public Works & Transportation, and the Airport Advisory Committee.

The EAA Aviation Foundation's Young Eagles program has introduced young people to the world of flight, flying one million Young Eagles by Dec. 17, 2003, the 100th anniversary of the Wright brothers' first powered flight. The volunteer Young Eagles effort has now reached more than 1.7 million youth in 90 countries since its introduction on July 31, 1992.

The EAA is a growing and diverse organization of members with a wide range of aviation interests and backgrounds, originally founded in 1953 by a group of individuals in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, who were interested in building their own airplanes. For more information about Chapter 478 and the Young Eagles rally, please visit www.eaachapter478.org