By Ted Luebbers
On a cool, breezy, but sunny day, 14 Young Eagles reached for the sky during a Young Eagle Rally with the Experimental Aircraft Association Chapter 534 at the Leesburg International Airport on Feb. 18, 2023.
Young Eagles rallies are given by local EAA chapters to acquaint young people ages 8 to 17 with the enjoyment of flying in small single engine aircraft. The hope is that this experience will inspire them to become private pilots or pursue interests in other areas of Aerospace later in their lives.
If your child has ever expressed an interest in aviation, or looks longingly skyward every time an airplane flies over, go to the following website, <www.eaa.org/youngeagles >. Here you can get information on how to contact a Young Eagles coordinator close to where you live and schedule a flight.
Nationally, EAA has flown 2.3 million kids on these flights. They take place at local EAA chapters all over the country and are free. EAA pilots volunteer their time, personal planes, and the cost of fuel, to ensure that the young people have a positive experience during their flight.
These flights generally last 20 to 30 minutes and if the young people live close by, the pilots will try to fly over the neighborhood so they can see it from the air.
At some point, the pilot may ask a youngster if they would like to try flying the plane. If they say, “yes”, they will be shown what to do and watched closely by the experienced EAA pilot. There is little the child could do wrong that the pilot couldn’t quickly correct.
There are also several other free benefits they get by taking part in these events such as a Sporty’s online Learn to Fly course. This is a $249. value and it has Embry-Riddle flight instructor support.
Some of the other free perks are admission to 400 science and technology museums, Academy of Model Aeronautics student membership, electronic copy of EAA Sport Aviation magazine, and a free first flight lesson after passing the FAA knowledge exam.
Also, an EAA Student Membership is available free to any youngster age 8 to 18 who has completed a Young Eagle flight.
The Young Eagles program is definitely designed to expose a latent interest in aviation or support an already expressed interest by a young person.
On this day EAA chapter 534 provided six small single engine, General Aviation aircraft and pilots. Another dozen chapter members turned out in support of the rally to help with registration, explain projects going on in the hangar and escort parents and children safely back and forth to the ramp.
After registration and paperwork is completed both parents and young people were given an orientation about what to expect during the flights.
The next step is the demonstration of how to properly pre-flight an aircraft. Usually, an airplane is pulled up in front of the hangar and a pilot or member of the Squadron 534 aviation youth program will show everyone how to do the pre-flight.
When the pre-flight demonstration is finished, the kids will be assigned to a pilot and aircraft, then escorted to the ramp for the flight.
After they land and deplane, it’s interesting to see the grins from ear to ear and hear the excited animated discussions going on between the Young Eagles and their parents.
Before they leave, they are given a Certificate commemorating their flight and an official flight log book signed by their pilot.
If you would like to find out more about EAA and EAA Chapter 534 you may go to the following websites, < www.eaa.org > and < www.eaachapter534.org >.
All photos taken by Ted Luebbers
