My Ontario - COPA For Kids.flv

rickcarpenter@sympatico.ca

By Lisa Gervais, Linsday Post Reporter
Posted 3 months ago

LINDSAY - After a 15-year hiatus, local kids can experience the thrill of flight in mid-September when the fledgling Kawartha Lakes Flying Club hosts COPA for Kids at Lindsay airport.

"This is our first event in about 15 years," Kawartha Lakes Flying Club president Flavelle Barrett said.

Geared to the general aviation community, COPA is offered by owners, co-owners and renters of planes from flying clubs across Canada.

"COPA long ago recognized that if we wanted our membership to grow, we had to introduce kids to flying at an early age and leave a memorable impression with them to sow the seeds that might germinate an interest in the pursuit of flying," Barrett said.

He said the local club was now officially recognized by COPA out of Ottawa, which is why Lindsay is now COPA Flight 101.

He said Michelle Woodhead and her husband, who live in the Dunsford area, and who have been involved in flying locally for many years, have volunteered to manage the registration process.

Youth between the ages of seven and 17 are invited to attend the day.

Barrett said they are expecting 70 to 100 youth to sign up and already have 35 pre-registered. He said youth from as far away as Milton and Toronto have pre-registered.

"We're probably going to have to cap it off because it's so popular," he said.

The day begins with verification of registration. Youth then do an outdoor classroom session, learning the basics of aviation.

The students are then assigned to a local pilot and either a two-seater or four-seater plane. They will be given a headset and walked through preparations for a flight. They will then go on a 20-25 minute flight.

Barrett said they would head up the Scugog River, along the west side of Sturgeon Lake, over Fenelon Falls, along the bottom of Cameron Lake, turning south over farmland and then fly back to the airport.

-lgervais@thepost.ca

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Education

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• COPA
• Canada
• Ontario