By ANN Contributor Tyson V. Rininger

On July 31st, 1992, Young Eagle's Chairman Cliff Robertson and EAA President Tom Poberezny flew the first Young Eagles at AirVenture. From that point on, it was the EAA's mission to fly a million young people by the 100th anniversary of powered flight in 2003.

They made it.

In fact, to date, 1,070,000 kids have flown with more than 36,000 EAA members who volunteer their time to introduce young people to aviation.

In 1994, General Chuck Yeager (USAF, Ret.) took over as chairman of the Young Eagle's program. He continued the quest until March, 2004. Over the past several years, Ford has done his share, flying almost 200 Young Eagles and taking the reigns as the newest chairman.

An avid pilot and aircraft owner, Ford received his Private Pilot's license in 1996 and later obtained his instrument rating and seaplane qualification. He now flies all sorts of aircraft, including tail-draggers and helicopters.

A member of EAA since 1996, Ford owns several aircraft including a de Havilland Beaver; Bell 407 helicopter; an Aviat Husky; a Beech A-36 Bonanza and a Cessna Grand Caravan.

When asked whether any of the children he has flown stood out in his mind, he remembered flying a child who suffers from Downs Syndrome. Ford described it as a heart-warming flight filled with excitement from a new adventure.

"Aviation has been a very important part of my life," Ford explained. "I didn't come to it until late in life, but nothing has given me as much satisfaction or brought me as much renewed intellectual interest as the business of learning to fly and continuing to build on the skills that flying requires."

FMI: www.youngeagles.com