Police Blue Light event give kids their first taste of flying

About to take off on a flight at the AOPA/NZ Police Take a Kid Flying Day.

Armed with hi-vis vests and cushions propping them up to see where they're going, 27 young students from Ōtaki, Horowhenua and as far north as Bulls had an experience to remember, taking a flight in a light aircraft last weekend.

The NZ Police Blue Light Take a Kid Flying programme has been running for nearly 10 years and is a collaboration between the Blue Light Charity, Aircrafts Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) and the police.

Each year around 30 young people are invited to events around the country, with the Kāpiti event being held at Kāpiti Coast Airport, hosted by the Kāpiti Districts Aero Club.

Pilot Maarten Kleintjes with kids from the AOPA / NZ Police Blue Light Take a Kid Flying Day.

AOPA and Kāpiti Districts Aero Club member Peter Merwood said, "We had a crack at doing it in May at the same time as similar events around the country but had to postpone due to bad weather.

"This time we had the ideal day for it, there wasn't much wind.

"The police came armed with bread and sausages to feed the masses while the pilots took the kids out on a 20-minute flight each."

Pilot and aircraft owner Neil Morris taking kids flying from Kāpiti Districts Aero Club.

The pilots volunteered their time and aircraft for the event, free of charge with four aircraft doing a total of nine trips.

"Interestingly a lot of the kids have never been in a plane before, not even on a commercial flight.

"It's always very satisfying to see the smiles on the faces when they come down."

Each student was flown from Kāpiti Coast Airport, north up State Highway 1 to the Ōtaki River Bridge, and then down the river towards the river mouth before heading back down the coast.

Including the students as part of the crew, Peter explained to each passenger that it was their job to look out for other aircraft or things around.

Getting ready to take off from Kāpiti Coast Airport.

"I said, 'It's your job to let the pilot know if you see anything', and explained the straight-ahead is 12 o'clock idea and so on.

"So the whole time the pilots were getting, 'there's a bird at 9 o'clock, a lamppost at 4 o'clock' - it was a lot of fun."

Detective Mike Skates from the Levin police said the Blue Light team invited schools in the district to choose students they thought would benefit from the event.

"It was a beautiful day, the barbecue was on and the kids enjoyed that and the flights too.

"Each school has an individual approach to selecting children. We let them know there are 30 seats available and put it out to schools to nominate kids.

"Some kids were a bit nervous and apprehensive at the start but after their 20-minute flight they were coming down with big smiles on their faces, talking about what they could see.

"You could clearly see it was a great experience for everyone involved.

"There were definitely a lot of smiles at the end of the day, that's for sure.

"It was of great value, thanks to Peter and the guys that put in their time and their aircraft to make it happen."