Free flights for kids coming soon

Sault and area children from ages eight to 17 will once again be treated to a day of exposure to the fascinating world of aviation, including flights above the city, at the upcoming fourth annual COPA for Kids event, to be held Saturday Aug. 25 at the Sault Ste. Marie Airport.

The free event, which will run from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., will be hosted by pilots of the Canadian Owners Pilot’s Association (COPA) Flight 66, a group of Sault and area pilots.

COPA Flight 66 is the local chapter of the Canadian Owners Pilot’s Association.

This year’s event will coincide with the Sault Airport’s Aug. 25 open house.

Children must be registered by parents/guardians through the COPA for Kids 2018 website’s online registration form.

“Registration is now open on our website and is running smoothly so far,” said Terry Mortimore, COPA Flight 66 captain, speaking to SooToday.

“We cut the registration off at around 250 kids, that’s what we factor in. We’re about halfway to that target.”

Once the online registration is submitted, a member of COPA Flight 66 will be in touch with parents/guardians regarding next steps by Friday, August 17, 2018.

• A chance to examine a working aircraft close up on the ground (static display)

• A short ground school session conducted by a pilot who explains what the various parts of an aircraft are, what they do, and answers questions about aviation and flying

• A walk around, to show them how pilots prepare for each flight, and are briefed on the safety aspects of their flight

• The 20-minute flight itself, in which they are able to observe all the facets of flight, including start-up, take-off, cruising, landing and shut-down.

While last year’s COPA for Kids event was held near the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF)  hangar, COPA for Kids 2018 will be held near the Academy of Flight building just north of the main airport terminal.

“We’ve got four pilots flying in from out of town, one fellow from Sudbury, two people with airplanes from North Bay and another one from Timmins, so as long as the weather is good at their end Friday evening to get them in, we’ll have them to help as well,” said Mortimore, who is anticipating 10 to 12 airplanes and pilots will take part.

Model plane enthusiasts from Soo Modellers will also be on hand, along with Air Cadets from the 155 Borden Gray Air Cadet Squadron, Mortimore said.

COPA Flight 66 began in Sault Ste. Marie in 1973 and met at the MNRF hangar (now the Bushplane Museum's home), but the local chapter fizzled out in the late 1970s before successfully reviving in 2015.