BANGOR – After traveling more than 7,000 nautical miles, a British pilot stopped Thursday evening at Bangor International Airport’s General Aviation Terminal and reached his goal of landing at the northeast point of the country on behalf of a national aviation organization for children.

Steve Wood, 57, of Harrogate, England, wants to hit all four corners of the United States before July 29, and he will end his 9,000-nautical-mile trip in Marathon, Fla.

The pilot is making the two-week journey in “Goofy,” his small GlaStar N600F, to promote the Young Eagles, a national group that introduces children to aviation.

“I want to give kids an interest in aviation. Without general aviation, there would be very few commercial pilots and we would have a difficult time transporting things around the world,” Wood said Thursday.

It took Wood seven years to build his yellow-and-silver plane, and on Dec. 17, 2003, it gained its certification to fly, which the pilot feels is significant since that date marked the 100th anniversary of flight.

Wood, who has a vacation home in Daytona Beach, Fla., is flying to all four corners of the country, making stops in Florida, Texas, California, Nevada, Washington, Montana, Wisconsin, New York, Maine, Ohio and Maryland.

“If only the Wright brothers could have seen this,” Jim Corliss, a member of the Penobscot Valley chapter of the Young Eagles program, said during his visit to the airport.

Corliss brought along his grandson Dillon Corliss, 11, of Winterport, who has flown numerous times because of his grandfather.

In addition to flying to the four corners, Wood said he also has an agenda to spur children’s interest by taking selected youngsters in each location for their first plane ride, he said.

At Spruce Creek Flying near Daytona Beach, Fla., Wood coordinates an event twice a year to take 35 to 60 special-needs children on their first airplane ride.

Even though he is an experienced aviator, Dillon was the lucky flier for the day.

“I had a good time, but man, it was hot,” Dillon said after his hour-long flight.

The plane’s registration number, 600FY, is a hit with the kids, Wood said. Some people have misread the registration and hence nicknamed the plane “Goofy.”

As a result, Wood keeps a stuffed Disney Goofy propped up in his plane, and the character’s picture is painted on the side of the aircraft.

The pilot is heading off today for Columbus, Ohio.

“I’ve been involved in Young Eagles for a long time, and I just want to promote the organization,” Wood said.

For information about the Young Eagles and Wood’s trip, visit www.youngeagles.org.