A small fleet of single-engine aircraft gathered Saturday morning at the Mt. Pleasant Municipal Airport, as the annual Young Eagles Fly-in gave area youth a bird's-eye view of the region.

"This is how we introduce the kids to aviation," said David Ford, coordinator for Young Eagles Chapter 700, which counts about 50 active members based in Burlington.

Partnering with the Mt. Pleasant Kiwanis, Young Eagles has been running annual programs at the Mt. Pleasant airport since about 2000, according to Kiwanis representative Steve Gray.

The planes included a variety of models of small private aircraft, including a rebuilt World War II scouting plane.

Ford said the goal was to get kids to consider flying at an early age. "Anybody can fly an airplane," he said. "It just takes training."

For more, see our Oct. 13 print edition.