Nathaniel Shuda

USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin

OSHKOSH, Wis. - A Hollywood legend with ties to the World’s Greatest Aviation Celebration returned Thursday to northeast Wisconsin to help celebrate a historic milestone for the annual event.

Harrison Ford returned to the Experimental Aircraft Association’s AirVenture convention after a three-year absence to fly with 16-year-old Jodie Gawthrop of Westchester, Ill., who represented the 2 millionth participant in the association’s Young Eagles program.

"This particular flight I've been looking forward to for a long time," the 74-year-old Star Wars actor and former Young Eagles chairman said during a post-flight news conference at the Charlie Hillard Air Operations Center.

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Gawthrop, whose experience with the Civil Air Patrol’s cadet orientation program in 2013 sparked her in interest in aviation, said Thursday’s flight was everything she could’ve hoped for.

“I’m just really thankful for this experience and the opportunity to pursue my dreams of flying,” Gawthrop said after the flight. “Just thank you so much to everybody and to you, Harrison.”

Founded in 1992, the Young Eagles program introduces youth to the world of aviation, giving children ages 8 to 17 their first free ride in an airplane. More than 40,000 pilots, including Ford as well as aerobatics legend Sean D. Tucker, have donated their time and use of their planes for the program.

"I think it's an amazing program,” Ford said. “I’d like to see it continue; I’d like to see it help foster the careers in aviation. We’re way behind in growing our pilot population. We’re going to need a lot of commercial airline pilots and I’d like to see them homegrown.”

The pair took off shortly after 2 p.m. Thursday from Oshkosh’s Wittman Regional Airport in Ford’s mallard-green and yellow deHavilland Beaver, which he has flown for about 20 years.

“We spent some time talking about the airplane and about what I was doing and going through the checklists,” he said. “Jodie actually asked me whether celebrities use checklists and I said ‘Absolutely; they need them.’ We had a great flight. It was fun.”

Ford was injured in March 2015 when his vintage single-engine airplane crashed on a golf course shortly after taking off from Santa Monica Airport. Thursday marked his first visit to AirVenture since the crash.

When asked about whether the crash has affected his confidence about flying, he had one thing to say.

"Still can’t play the violin,” he said with a chuckle.

Reach Nathaniel Shuda at 920-426-6632 or nshuda@thenorthwestern.com; on Twitter: @onwnshuda.