On June 10, 2000, I first participated in the EAA Young Eagles program at Merrill C. Meigs Field in Chicago, IL. I was a volunteer pilot giving young people introductory airplane rides in N9801V. For most of the kids it was their first airplane ride of any kind. It was one of the most satisfying experiences of my aviation life although the weather was not pleasant: warm and turbulent. To my and a lot of waiting childrens' disappointment, the program had to be cut short that day due to approaching convective thunderstorms. I plan on returning to Meigs to volunteer as often as I can.
On June 8, 2002, I returned to KCGX (Meigs) for another day of taking kids on airplane rides. It was a beautiful day and I was able to take 3 flights that day. The flight route was altered due to post Sept 11th security precautions but lots of kids got to fly anyway. It was another day of a lot of fun!
My days at Meigs Field and the wonderful children I've met: