Nineteen kids, eight pilots and eight aircraft headed for the wild blue yonder with the Experimental Aircraft Association Chapter 534’s Young Eagle program.
It was a nice sunny, warm day with very little wind when a group of young people along with parents and friends descended on the EAA Chapter 534 hangar at the Leesburg International Airport in Leesburg. This group of excited youngsters lined up to fill out the necessary paperwork at tables set up in the hangar.
This was followed by an orientation program led by Joel Hargis, the chapter’s chief pilot for the Young Eagles rally. Hargis told the kids and their folks what to expect and stressed that their safety was the chapter’s first consideration. After that, he said the goal was to have fun. He talked about the need for a sterile cockpit during takeoff and landing, which means no talking on the headsets until in the air, and that some of them may get a chance to actually fly the plane under the watchful eye of their EAA assigned pilot.
Following the orientation program, the Young Eagles were given a demonstration on how to pre-flight a small plane. This was done by one of the chapter’s Ray Aviation Scholars, Isaiah Kadletz, using VP John Weber’s Kitfox. All the planes used this day had been pre-flighted by their pilots prior to the event, so the demonstration would move things along on the ramp more efficiently.
The next step is for each Young Eagle to be assigned a pilot and escorted to the ramp to get strapped into their plane for the flight.
Young Eagle flights are available at many local EAA Chapters across the globe. They are absolutely free for young people ages 8 to 17. So far, the EAA parent organization, based in Oshkosh, WI, has conducted well over two million Young Eagle flights through their local chapters. If you are the parent of a child that has a strong interest in aviation, visit your local airport to see if they have an EAA chapter, or go to www.eaayoungeagles.org.
Young Eagle pilots donate their time, planes and fuel, so there are no charges for these flights on the part of the kids or their parents. These flights can last 15 to 20 minutes. Many times, the pilot will ask the youngster if they live nearby so they might get a chance to view their neighborhood from the air.
After their flight, each Young Eagle will be presented with a commemorative certificate of the flight along with an official logbook, both signed by their pilot.
The motivation behind the Young Eagle flight program is to acquaint young people with wonder and freedom of flight. The hope is that this experience will result in some of them becoming interested in becoming private pilots or kindle an interest in some other area of aerospace as they mature.
Currently there is a great need for commercial pilots and aviation mechanics. At some point in their lives, these young people will make decisions about a vocation and the aviation field will be a worthwhile choice.
There are many perks to becoming a Young Eagle beyond the flight. Each one will receive free online access to The Sporty’s Learn to Fly Course ($ 250. value). This course will teach them what they need to know to pass the written test required by the Federal Aviation Administration and a free flight lesson at a flight school of their choice when they pass the test. They also qualify for an EAA Student membership at no charge for any young person aged 8 to 18.
On this day beside the eight pilots and their planes, EAA Chapter 534 turned out 12 members to handle the paperwork, escort kids and parents safely back and forth to the ramp. Members were available to explain some of the building projects going on in the hangar. It turned out to be a fun day for everyone involved.
If you would like more information about EAA National or EAA Chapter 534, go to www.eaa.org or www.eaachapter534.org.
