OGDEN -- Imagine that it's your first time ever stepping foot inside of an airplane, and you are asked to pilot the flight.
That's exactly what happened Saturday morning at the Ogden Airport as Marco Melendrez, 14, Andrey Ahmedov, 15, and Damion Archuleta, 17, took part in a special Cessna 172 flight over the skies of Weber County.
The three Ogden teens are part of Youth Impact's "Youth's In Transition" program and wrote award winning essays on careers in aviation to earn the flight.
Archuleta said he had flown before, but for Ahmedov and Melendrez, Saturday was their first time among the clouds. All three teens were able to take over the controls for a brief period during their flight.
"It was awesome," Ahmedov said, moments after stepping of the plane. "Things look a lot different from up there. Everything just looks completely flat. It changed the way I look at things."
The teens, who had to rush into the air before a mid-morning storm system came in, flew right above their own neighborhoods and were able to pinpoint their houses from the sky.
"It was cool to see my house from up there," said Melendrez. "It's crazy how much you can see of the city."
The flight was arranged by pilot Dwight Baldwin of South Ogden. Baldwin, who also makes free charity flights for people with medical conditions, said he wanted to share his love of flying with the students at Youth Impact.
"I just wanted to hopefully inspire them to start thinking about aviation," Baldwin said. "Maybe it will spark their imagination and they find out they really love it and want to pursue a career."
Ken Primbs, coordinator of the Youth Impact YIT program, which focuses on exploring careers for teens in grades 9-12, said community members throughout the state make Youth Impact possible. The YIT program is also sponsored by the American Dream Foundation and the Bank of Utah.
"We wouldn't exist without support from the community and people like Dwight," he said. "For these kids, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity, something they probably never would have been able to do otherwise."
Archuleta, the only sky veteran among the group, summed up his experience quite simply.
"I have flown before," he said. "But never like this."
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