Local pilot Charelle Burgess introduces her 100th young passenger to aviation at the same airport where she learned to fly.

A lifelong love of aviation has come full circle for Umatilla native Charelle Burgess, who recently marked a milestone by taking her 100th young passenger into the sky through the Experimental Aircraft Association’s Young Eagles program.

The flight took place at Umatilla Municipal Airport, the same airport where Charelle learned to fly years ago as a young person herself.

“One of my favorite parts is introducing young people to the beauty of flying and showing them the world from a different perspective,” Charelle says. “I especially love taking kids from Umatilla and Lake County because I can point out familiar landmarks, lakes and even local fishing spots from the air. Seeing their excitement never gets old.”

The EAA Young Eagles program provides free introductory flights to children ages 8 to 17 with the goal of sparking an interest in aviation, engineering and aerospace careers.

Over the past three years, Charelle has helped 100 young people experience flight, many of them for the first time.

A Umatilla native, Charelle returned to the community after spending several years away. Following a career in education, she now serves as executive director of the Umatilla Chamber of Commerce.

Her volunteer work with EAA Chapter 1632 gives her another way to mentor young people while sharing her passion for aviation.

“I am grateful to all of the volunteers with EAA Chapter 1632 at the Umatilla airport who make this program possible,” she says. “Their dedication allows me to share my love of flying with young people in our community. Reaching 100 youth flown is exciting, but I’m already looking forward to the next 100.”

Charelle is a commercially rated pilot with instrument, seaplane and multi-engine ratings. When she is not flying, she volunteers at the Humane Society, enjoys traveling and takes pride in her son, who is a cadet at West Point.

The Young Eagles program was launched in 1992 and has since provided millions of free introductory flights to young people around the world.

For Charelle, however, the milestone is especially local — giving Lake County children the same opportunity to discover aviation that helped shape her own life.