By Carol Stiffler
On Sunday, June 7, 2026, five planes from the western end of the U.P. will buzz into the Luce County Airport on a special mission: To take kids flying – for free.
The visiting pilots are part of Experimental Aviation Association (EAA) Chapter 850, based in Marquette. They’re helping with the EAA’s Young Eagles program, which introduces youth to the aviation industry in the hopes that they’ll pick it up as a hobby or even a career. The flying events are called rallies.
Pilot Greg Durand said every young person who attends will be given a 20-30 minute flight around the area, potentially seeing sights like the Tahquamenon Falls and Pike Lake.
“The biggest thing behind it is it gives them an experience,” Durand said.
Many people who eventually become pilots say their love of flying started with the Young Eagles program.
“There are a lot of stories,” Durand said. “You read them every day: It started out getting a Young Eagle flight with a family friend, then training. It was always in the back of their mind. Next thing you know, they’re in deep.”
Bruce Finn is the Young Eagles coordinator for EAA Chapter 850. He’s a student pilot himself and can’t take anyone flying, but has organized this summer’s Young Eagles rallies.
Finn is quick to point out that there is much more to the industry than simply flying planes.
“We’re promoting aviation,” Finn said. “There is so much more to the career path of aviation than just being an airline pilot. That’s the most sexy, visible part, I suppose, but there’s a whole world beyond that.”
Planes need mechanics, airports need air traffic control specialists, a plane’s computer system needs a tech guru.
“We need people on the ground to make sure all that stuff happens,” Finn said.
Luce County Airport Manager Glen Pittman is one of those “people on the ground”. He’s not a pilot, though he says he happily accepts flights from visiting pilots whenever they offer. Pittman has been accruing grant money for years and improving the local airport, which is known as KERY to pilots.
The airport boasts a 4,300-foot asphalt runway and a grass runway that’s almost 4,000 feet long. In the summer, four or five aircraft stop by in a day, Pittman said.
“If you got up in the air, you might see [Lake] Superior, if you’re high enough,” he said.
Veteran pilot and former flight instructor Bill VanEffen said the Young Eagles program offers a great first look at aviation. He was injured in a fall years ago and can no longer instruct pilots in the air, though he still flies on his own sometimes.
“One of my favorite things to do, when I was flying regularly, was to take people for their first airplane ride,” VanEffen said. “That’s just a lot of fun. I’ve had people I’ve taken for their first airplane ride that have signed up for lessons and gotten a pilot’s license.”
To sign up your youth, visit eaachapters.org. Enter Newberry’s ZIP code of 49868 in the search field to find the Newberry rally. From there, you’ll need to select an open time slot and provide details for each child or teen that wants to take a flight.
The event is free. The organization accepts donations to help cover the cost of fuel, though it’s not a requirement. “We would take donations, but as far as putting a price on a flight, we do not do that,” Durand said. “That’s not the intent.”
The intent is to show young people the world of aviation.
“Kids want to do it again and again and again,” Finn said. “We have some kids that come back 6-7 times.”
Those, he said, are the ones that often end up working in the industry.
“It’s funny to see them look down and see the cars and people,” Finn said. “They just love it. That’s the inspiration. That’s the spark that starts it all. Some youth continue on that spark and keep seeking out Young Eagle flights. I highly recommend as many Young Eagle flights as they can because every experience, they learn a little bit more.”
