MARK WAITE / PVT Pilot Roger Hansen buckles in Claribelle Donaldson, 10, before taking her on a quick flight over Pahrump during the annual Young Eagles Rally at the Calvada Meadows Airstrip Saturday morning. Advertisement

"Cool," "awesome," "a blast" were some of the descriptions given by children after they rode in the Young Eagles Rally at the Calvada Meadows Airpark on a cloudy Saturday morning.

Ten pilots, seven of them from Las Vegas, showed up in their personal aircraft to take children ages 8 to 17 for a 20-minute spin in the air over Pahrump, an event sponsored by local Chapter 1160 of the Experimental Aircraft Association.

Fifty-six children received their certificates during the annual rally this year, down from 93 last year. Nationally, 1.3 million children have gone airborne in the program in its 16 years of existence.

"I've never been in a plane before. That was just awesome," said Kailey Murphy, 9.

The flight pattern went south from the airstrip near Simkins Road, to Mountain Falls Golf Course and back. Smaller planes flew at 4,500 feet above sea level, which is about 1,800 feet above ground elevation. Pilots tried to point out houses of the young passengers, though Murphy said she didn't see her house, only her school.

"I saw J.G. Johnson, that's the only thing I saw and the town was like teeny, tiny patches," she said.

Dillon Murphy, 12, said he got a chance to steer.

"Was that cool or what? That was really cool, we were 2,000-some feet up in the air. We were doing about 120 (mph)," he said.

Pilot Chuck Herrmann was demonstrating the pre-flight inspection to Spencer Cunning, who had only a few more weeks before he would turn 18, too old to take part in the rally. Cunning said flying in a small plane involves a lot more controlling, a lot different than just sitting in a passenger seat of a commercial flight.

Herrmann checked the oil (there were six quarts), checked the propeller, the lights, the flaps, the tail of the airplane.

He had enough fuel, two 15-gallon tanks filled with 100 octane. Herrmann explained his plane had a 125-horsepower, air-cooled engine capable of going 120 mph.

"I give them some idea what we do so that they understand this isn't just jump and go. If more people paid attention to their cars, they'd probably have less problem with them," Herrmann said.

Shannon Griffin, 16, said he was on a flight on a commercial plane to Reno once, but this was his first time flying in a small Piper Cherokee plane.

"It was sort of ilke being on one of those carnival rides," Griffin said.

Ethan Griffin, 11, said he was a little scared when he was first taking off from the ground.

Pilot Judsen "Judd" Gundersen said it's his first time chauffering around the kids. He was a Young Eagle himself 10 years ago.

"It's kind of fun being on the other side of it," Gundersen said, "I'm just giving them the opportunity to experience flying for the first time.

"My dad had been a pilot his whole life. He was a pilot for Young Eagles and I had an opportunity to fly with him, but I've been interested in aviation for I guess as long as I can remember. He made me have my pilot's license before I could get my driver's license was the rule."

Stan Davis, who helped organize the fourth event in Pahrump, hopes the love of aviation will rub off on some of the passengers.

"Give them a little experience doing this and maybe -- maybe -- 1 or 2 percent of them might decide to make aviation a career," Davis said.

The flight includes an explanation by the pilots of the theory of flight, Davis said. But he said the cost of airplanes, fuel and insurance have caused a decline in the number of pilots.

"There isn't enough justification in this town to provide enough students to even be a flight instructor. You've got to have 20 to 25 students per year just to pay the insurance premium without ever putting the first dollar in your pocket," Davis said.