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, parents, and friends descended on the EAA Chapter 534 hangar at the Leesburg International Airport in Leesburg, FL.

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. Joel 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 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 who has a strong interest in aviation, visit your local airport to see if they have an EAA chapter, or go to the following website; 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 log book 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 kindling 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 (FAA) 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 age 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 you may go to the following websites, www.eaa.org  or www.eaachapter534.org.

All Photos taken by Ted Luebbers and permission granted to use any or all.

Suggested photo captions:

DSCN 7572 Chief Young Eagle pilot, Joel Hargis, conducts the Young Eagle orientation to tell kids and parents what to expect at the event.

DSCN 7576 EAA Chapter 534 Ray Aviation Scholar, Isiaih Kadletz, shows the Young Eagles how to do a pre-flight.

DSCN 7580 ( L to R ) EAA Chapter 534 Ray Aviation Scholarship recipient, Luke Nunez, pays it forward by flying Young Eagle Mason McClintock.

DSCN 7582 EAA Chapter 534 pilot, Steve Tilford, has his Young Eagle, Hayley Proctor, strapped in for her Young Eagle Flight.

DSCN 7585 EAA pilot, Bruce Cynamon,

And Young Eagle Abdiel Hernandez, are ready to takeoff from Leesburg International Airport ( KLEE ) in Leesburg, FL.

DSCN 7601 After returning from his Young Eagle flight with VP John Weber, Jaxon Drenzow walked over to admire a parked corporate jet. He thought he only needed a few more hours to captain something like this.

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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

The post EAA Young Eagles Reach For The Sky At Leesburg International Airport in Florida appeared first on South Lake Tablet.

The Florida Aviation Network paid a visit to the Experimental Aircraft Association Chapter 534 at the Leesburg International Airport in Leesburg, Florida on January 30, 2021 to shoot a television show about their aviation youth program, Squadron 534.

The Florida Aviation Network is a satellite broadcast system that promotes aviation and aviation safety through the efforts of the National Aviation Safety Foundation. Their television programming is open and free to the public and can be viewed on YouTube with your television and computer links.

The reason for the visit to EAA Chapter 534 was to feature their aviation youth program, Squadron 534.

Joel Hargis, the host of the show and TV anchor, interviewed John Weber, Squadron 534 aviation youth director; Steve Tilford, chapter president; as well as several of the Squadron 534 members and their chapter mentors.

Five different aircraft repair and building projects were shown and the young people described what they did to help get these airplanes to flying status. Their project leaders and mentors also discussed how the youth members participated and gave some insights as to what remains to be done.

Two of the Squadron 534 members, William McCarthy and Mateo Colmenero, have gone on to become $ 10,000 Ray Aviation Scholarship recipients.  They describe what that meant to them and what their aspirations are for the future.

The video was filmed at the EAA Chapter hangar so you get to see in the background the planes they are working on and understand the cooperation needed between the young people and their chapter mentors in order to complete their tasks.

To view this video, go to YouTube on your television set.  Using your WiFi system to navigate YouTube, look for their search engine in the upper left-hand corner of your picture and type in, Florida Aviation Network. When that comes up, look for the program “Teaching Youth Aviation-Squadron 534” and click on it. The URL address is : < https://youtu.be/7TsJg-YEPBs >.

You will find this program interesting to watch and it is the hope of both EAA Chapter 534 and Florida Aviation Network this will inspire other chapters and organizations to become active in teaching more kids about general aviation.

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