Photos by David Sakrison WhiteKnightTwo pilot Pete Siebold presents Serena Kroon with a flight bag and personalized White Knight crew ID badge. Serena and her family visited AirVenture on Saturday with the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

Amelia (left) and Abby Gorton sit in the cockpit of WhiteKnightTwo on Saturday morning. They were guests of EAA at AirVenture, through the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

August 1, 2009 - Oshkosh, Wisconsin - Four youngsters ages 5 to 12 from the Appleton, Wisconsin, chapter of the Make-A-Wish Foundation are spending the day with their families at AirVenture today as guests of EAA and the U.S. Customs & Border Protection service.

This morning they visited Virgin Galactic's WhiteKnightTwo on AeroShell Square where pilot Pete Siebold and other crewmembers took the kids through the cockpit and talked about the aircraft and its mission.

Other planned activities today include Bell 47 helicopter rides and a flight on EAA's Ford Tri-motor, lunch at the Air Academy Lodge, a visit to the ultralight area, and front-row seats in the performers' tent during the afternoon air show. The kids and their families came from Appleton, Green Bay, Fond du Lac, and Manitowoc.

Founded in 1980, the Make-A-Wish Foundation grants the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions, giving them and their families hope, strength and joy.

AirVenture has been hosting children and families from Make-A-Wish for more than 20 years. Make-A-Wish Field Office Director Jackie VerVoort said, "EAA is really treating us first class!"

Learn more about the Make-A-Wish Foundation at www.wish.org.