Kids taking off during free airplane rides

Volunteer Carl Baghaw, left, helped Joey Luth, 11, right, buckle up while Joey’s sister Kara, 9, waited with a smile before they took off in a Cessna Cardinal single engine aircraft piloted by Ian Basson during the annual COPA for Kids event at St. Thomas Municipal Airport on Saturday morning, June 10. The members of COPA Flight 75 (the St. Thomas and area chapter of the Canadian Owners and Pilots Association) gave free airplane rides to children and youth between the ages of 8 and 17 that morning along with a free hotdog. The event provided an introduction for youth into the world of general aviation. Between 100 and 150 children and youth were expected to get a free airplane or the rare helicopter ride that day.