Photos and Article By Ted Luebbers
On the evening of December 3, the Experimental Aircraft Association Chapter 534 got together to celebrate Christmas at the Leesburg International Airport administration building.
This was a festive catered affair that included an old-fashioned Yankee Gift Swap, and speeches by their outgoing President, Steve Tilford and the new incoming President, Mike Hage, both from The Villages, FL.
The affair was attended by about 35 members of the chapter and a good time was had by all. The membership of EAA Chapter 534 hails from the greater Leesburg area and surrounding towns including The Villages.
Traditionally, the Christmas party signals the beginning of a new year of flying and building activity at the Leesburg International Airport. The chapter maintains a hangar at the airport which is the center of their activity of teaching young people how to build and repair aircraft as well as prepare them to pursue any interest they may have in an Aerospace future. This also is the home of the chapter’s aviation youth group called, Squadron 534.
In the past four years, they have been fortunate to be able to award four Ray Aviation Scholarships to deserving aviation youth members with the help of their National EAA organization. This year a $5000 Ray Scholarship was awarded to 15-year-old Nick Hopkins who will train to become a licensed motor glider pilot.
The first three scholarship recipients who were awarded $10,000 scholarships each, are now FAA licensed Private Pilots. They are all currently working on advanced ratings.
During the year the EAA hangar is a beehive of activity of learning by both young and older members who are interested in General Aviation flying, aircraft construction, and working together with other like-minded folks. This organization is open to people who are private pilots, aviation mechanics and aviation enthusiasts.
Once a month they host a Young Eagles free first flight rally during which they fly kids ages 8 to 17 for a short demonstration flight. EAA Chapter 534 pilots donate their time, airplanes and fuel to make sure these young people get a safe and enjoyable first time in the air in a single-engine General Aviation aircraft.
The idea behind this is to acquaint young people with the joy of flying with the hope that someday they will elect to become private pilots themselves or decide they might want to learn more about some other aspect of Aerospace. To learn more about the Young Eagles program go to the website, < www.YoungEagles.org/join>.
The National Experimental Aircraft Association in Oshkosh, Wisconsin charters local EAA chapters all over the globe. They are usually found at local airports. Some of these are busy airports Like Leesburg International and others are smaller grass airstrips.
For people who might be interested in joining a local EAA chapter visit your local airport and check them out or go to the following website, < www.eaa.org>.
If you wish to find out more about EAA Chapter 534 you may go to <www.eaachapter534.org >
