Pilots to aim to take youth to new heights with Kalispell education facility

“Clear!” Charles White yelled before shutting the overhead door and revving the engine, sending the propeller whirring.

The airplane he spent 18 months building with parts shipped from South Africa rolled down the taxiway, its sleek white paint job matching the clouds overhead.

After turning onto the runway, the brand-new Sling Aircraft quickly gathered speed and lifted into the sky.

White is a member of the Experimental Aircraft Association, a national nonprofit founded in 1953 by aviation enthusiasts in Wisconsin interested in building their own planes.

The organization provides general aviation education, safety counseling and technical support for constructing homebuilt aircraft and restoring vintage aircraft.

Experimental, or homebuilt, airplanes, are fitted together by their pil