Free Republic

Cesar Ceja's mother won't let him drive, but she'll let him fly. In fact, his mother says airplanes are one of the best things to happen to her almost 16-year-old. Three months ago, Ceja started coming to Young Eagles rallies, recommended by a friend of a friend. The group offers free flights for children 8 to 17 at Hayward Executive Airport. Experienced pilots, who hang around the small airport's hangars like chatty neighbors on a garage sale weekend, take up one or two passengers at a time. After one ride, Ceja was hooked. "I always wanted to be a pilot,"...

Pilot Tony Ginn enjoys sharing his love of flying with others, especially the youngsters he takes aloft as part of the Experimental Aircraft Association's Young Eagles program. Volunteer pilots in the worldwide program offer free flights to young people, primarily ages 8 to 17, in rallies staged at area airports. Ginn joined the program when it began in 1992 with the goal of flying 1 million youths by the 100th anniversary of the Wright brothers' historic first flight in 2003. In the years since, he has introduced more than 100 area youths to flying. "I get to see the excitement...