Photos and Article By Ted Luebbers, EAA Chapter 534 P.I.O.
On Saturday May 3, 2025, seven young people experienced the thrill of flight courtesy of the Experimental Aircraft Association Chapter 534.
This was a Young Eagles Rally held at the Leesburg International Airport in Leesburg, FL.
This was the last Young Eagles event of the 2025 season until they resume again in September. Due to Florida summer weather patterns, it is considered safer not to fly kids during this time. The next young Eagle event here will be on September 6, 2025.
On this day the parking lot in front of the EAA Chapter 534 started filling up around 8:30 and young people began to stream in into the hangar with parents and friends in tow.
There was paperwork to be filled out, name tags made out new friends to meet.
Joel Hargis, chief pilot for the day’s rally gave the seven volunteer EAA pilots their flight instructions stressing safety, expected air traffic and use of the special call signs to use for the tower.
This was followed by Joel giving an orientation for both the Young Eagles and their parents.
Again, it was safety first then let’s all have fun. He talked about the need for a sterile cockpit during takeoff and landing while the pilots were talking to the tower. At this point only the pilot will be talking to the tower and no one will be using the intercom. He talked about following the instructions of the marshals who will be on the ramp controlling the movement of the planes.
The visiting crowd was then shown how pilots do a preflight of their planes using one of the member’s aircraft pulled up in front of the hangar. This was done by one of the Chapter 534 Ray Aviation Scholars, Isaiah Kadletz. He has completed his flight training and is just waiting for the final Federal Aviation Administration Check Ride.
After this the young folks returned to the hangar to be assigned to their pilot and plane and be escorted to the ramp.
It was clear this was going to be an exciting day in their lives. For most of them it would be the first time they had flown in any airplane.
Kids were loaded into planes, safety harness bucked up, and intercom headsets fitted over young ears. They were ready to go. The ramp marshals instructed parents where to stand so they would be safe, then they slowly instructed each plane when to move to the taxiway.
These flights generally last anywhere from 15 to 30 minutes. If the Young Eagle lives nearby to the airport the pilot might fly over their neighborhood so they can see what it looks like from the air.
Some of these kids will be asked if they would like to try flying the plane. If they want to, they will do so under the watchful eye of their EAA pilot. Their pilot will easily be able to correct any maneuver that isn’t quite right.
It’s always interesting to see the smiles from ear to ear on the faces of these kids when they deplane at the end of each flight. It’s clear that the seed of aviation interest has been successfully planted.
This is why the Experimental Aircraft Association sponsors Young Eagle Rallies.
It is hoped that one day these young people will want to become pilots themselves or spark some other interest in Aerospace.
After completing their flight each Young Eagle will be given a log book and a commemorative certificate of their flight signed by their pilot. For many of these kids this experience will open up a pathway they had never thought of before, the excitement of flight.
Young Eagles rallies are free. EAA pilots donate their time planes and fuel. There are many chapter members of the ground crew who also donate their time and aviation savvy to make sure all the visitors have a good time and are available to answer many questions parents and friends may have.
If you are interested to learn more about the Young Eagles program, go to < www.eaa.org/youngeagles .
To learn more about EAA and EAA Chapter534, go to the following websites, www.eaa.org or www.eaachapter534.org.
发表回复