Under Blue Skies: Young Eagles Take Flight Over Morgantown
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MORGANTOWN -- Under bright, sunny skies Saturday, the Morgantown Municipal Airport became a place where young dreams took flight.
The airport hosted Young Eagles Day, giving children ages 8 to 17 the opportunity to experience a free introductory airplane ride while learning more about aviation and the careers that can take them into the skies.
Organized by the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) Chapter 842, the event offered participants 15-to-20-minute flights over the Morgantown area, providing many with their first opportunity to experience general aviation from the cockpit.
Richard Judy, Young Eagles coordinator for EAA Chapter 842, said the program is about giving children an experience they might not otherwise have.
"This is the day all about the kids," Judy said. "Some of these kids, they would never be able to purchase an aircraft ride."
The national Young Eagles program began in 1992 with an ambitious goal -- to provide 1 million young people with a free airplane ride by the 100th anniversary of flight.
That milestone was reached in 2023.
Today, the program has provided free flights to approximately 2.7 million young people, with a new goal of reaching 500,000 children each year.
Every flight is made possible through volunteers who donate their time, aircraft and expertise.
"All the flights are free, done by the donation of the pilots," Judy said. "Ground personnel, all of us here are donations. Nobody's getting paid today."
Locally, EAA Chapter 842 has introduced approximately 2,500 young people to aviation over the past decade through events throughout North Central West Virginia and Southwestern Pennsylvania.
The chapter hosts Young Eagles events at several airports, including Morgantown Municipal Airport, Buckhannon-Upshur Airport, Greene County Airport in Waynesburg, Pennsylvania, and Washington County Airport in Washington, Pennsylvania.
Saturday's event marked the chapter's final Young Eagles event of the 2026 season. Organizers are planning four events in 2027, including another return to Morgantown.
For the young participants, however, the experience was about more than simply taking a ride in an airplane.
Children had the opportunity to climb into the cockpit, speak with pilots, ask questions about how an aircraft works and learn about the many career paths available in aviation.
"Maybe they might get a ride on an airliner someday," Judy said. "But this really brings it home and lets them get into the cockpit of a small general aviation aircraft."
The airport also provided children and families with an opportunity to meet people working in different areas of aviation. Pilots, air traffic controllers, airport officials and members of the Civil Air Patrol were on hand to answer questions and share their experiences.
Judy said Civil Air Patrol can also provide an important pathway for young people interested in aviation, military service or becoming pilots.
"If there's any facet of aviation that a kid wants to talk about, we have somebody here on site that they can talk to them about," he said.
While the focus of the day remained on introducing young people to aviation, organizers also used the event as an opportunity to support West Virginians recovering from recent flooding.
In partnership with the City of Morgantown, Young Eagles organizers collected supplies for flood victims. Requested items included tarps, dehumidifiers, shop vacs, shovels, mops, brooms, squeegees, box fans, outdoor extension cords, garden hoses and spray nozzles, dish and laundry detergent, pull-ups, pet food, cat litter and storage totes.
The community response quickly exceeded expectations.
"I think they've already filled up one truck and they've got another truck coming," Judy said. "People have been so generous and so nice."
For Judy, the generosity was another reminder of the spirit found throughout West Virginia communities.
"The people of Morgantown really come out and support their neighbors in need," he said.
By the end of the day, Young Eagles Day had become about more than airplanes.
For some children, it was their first time seeing Morgantown from above. For others, it may have been the first spark of an interest that could eventually lead to a career in aviation. And for the community, it was another opportunity to come together and help neighbors facing difficult circumstances.
As the final aircraft returned to the airport and the afternoon flights came to an end, the skies over Morgantown grew a little quieter -- but the sense of possibility remained.
For the volunteers of EAA Chapter 842, Saturday was not simply the close of another Young Eagles season. It was another chapter in an effort to introduce the next generation to the world of aviation, one flight at a time.
"The city of Morgantown has been so gracious. The airport has been so gracious to work with us throughout the years," Judy said. "We all just can't wait to come back next year and do it again."