Recently, fifteen new Young Eagle’s first flight kids, along with parents and friends reported to the chapter’s hangar located at the Leesburg International Airport in Florida. 

These free flight programs are open to young people ages 8-17 years of age. All they have to do is appear with a parent or guardian at Young Eagles Day at a local airport where there is an EAA Chapter holding this first flight event.

People may find out about these fun flights through local newspapers and internet blogs, or by going on the National EAA website < YoungEagles.org/join >.  There are local EAA Chapters at many airports in this country as well as internationally that may be sought out.

On this day when the prospective Young Eagles arrived at the Chapter 534 hangar, they were ushered in to begin filling out the necessary paperwork.  When that was completed, the kids were assigned to a pilot and airplane for their flight. After this, the pilots escorted their young passengers out to the airplanes. Other chapter members are on hand to make sure the paperwork gets filled out correctly, and help escort people safely back and forth to the ramp.

Chapter 534 provided five fixed-wing general aviation aircraft. These were small single-engine planes capable of carrying between one to three passengers. The flights last between 20 to 30 minutes.

If the kids on a particular flight live nearby, pilots will often fly over that young person’s home. Many times, the youngster sitting in the right seat may be asked if they would like to try flying the plane. If they agree, they will take control of the aircraft under the watchful eye of the EAA pilot.

Upon completion of their flight, each youngster will be given a Young Eagle logbook filled out by their pilot recording the necessary flight information as well as an official Young Eagles Certificate commemorating the flight.  At this point, they may elect to become official EAA Student Members.

As student members, they qualify for a free online Sporty’s Learn to Fly Course, free admission to 300+ science and technology museums, a free electronic copy of EAA Sport Aviation magazine, and a free-flying lesson valued at $120, upon completion of the Sporty’s Learn to Fly course.

EAA Chapter members and pilots volunteer their time, planes and the cost of aviation fuel to make these first flight adventures a success. At no time is anybody charged for anything.

EAA’s motivation for doing this is to acquaint young people with the joy of flying and hope that sometime in the future they might choose to become a private pilot or consider an aviation career. 

This particular Young Eagles event was a great success as a lot of smiles were noted as the kids deplaned after landing. For some, this might have been a life-changing day. 

For further information about the Experimental Aircraft Association, you may go to the following websites.  < www.eaa.org > or  < www.eaachapter534.org >

The post Young Eagles Return to Leesburg Florida appeared first on South Lake Tablet.

Members of the Experimental Aviation Association do their best to look out for each other in times of distress. An example of this took place on November 7, when a Piper Cherokee aircraft pulled up in front of the EAA Chapter 534 hangar at the Leesburg International Airport in Leesburg, Florida.

Sometimes when you need some help or a favor it all boils down to past and present relationships and who you know.

When a strange plane pulls up in front of a hangar filled with a bunch EAA members who tend to be enthusiastic aviation buffs, this can create quite a stir.

On this particular day, there was a lot of aircraft building activity going on in the hangar when folks suddenly became aware of a loud aircraft engine noise. Then a plane nobody recognized taxied up to the front of the hangar door.

The engine shut down and three people climbed out of the pretty little Cherokee and asked for one of the chapter members, Mark Banus, our chapter Treasurer. It so happened Mark was in the hangar working on building one of the chapter’s planes, a Murphy Rebel.

The pilot, Jon Sokel and his parents Ed and Meredith introduced themselves to Mark and some of the others in the hangar.

As the story goes, Jon had this non-affiliated flying club plane for two weeks while working for the Navy in Key West, FL.  All of a sudden Hurricane Eta was threatening to hit southern Florida.

The Cherokee is the only plane owned by this 10-member flying club in Chesapeake, Virginia and Jon and fellow members were getting nervous about having the plane in the hurricane’s path with nothing but tie downs available to them at the Key West Airport. So how do they get this plane to a safe place out of the storm’s path?

It so happens that one of the flying club members up north is a friend of Mark Banus and knew he was now living in Florida and had a hangar at the Leesburg International Airport that was currently empty. Mark told them, “no problem, have Jon fly it up and he could tuck the Cherokee in his hangar until the hurricane blows by”.

Jon, on a two-week Navy deployment at Key West, flew up to Venice, Florida picked up his parents and then flew into Leesburg. His folks will drive him back to his job in Key West. When the storm goes by Jon will make arrangements to come back to Leesburg to get the plane.

This was all worked out between friends who happened to be EAA members. It didn’t matter that some of them didn’t happen to know each other personally. This is just another story of how EAA members look out for each other.

The post EAA Chapter 534 Protects Visiting Airplane From Hurricane Eta appeared first on South Lake Tablet.

Mateo Colmenero, an Aviation Youth member and recent Ray Flight Scholarship Fund recipient, completed all the Federal Aviation Administration requirements to qualify for his Private Pilot’s license on January 5, 2020.

Mateo has been an Aviation Youth Member of the Experimental Aviation Association Mid Florida Chapter 534 for several years. This chapter is based at the Leesburg International Airport in Leesburg, FL.

In 2019 he was recommended for the $10,000 EAA National Ray Scholarship Fund by the board members of Chapter 534 because of his continued interest in learning how to fly, learning how to build and repair aircraft working with the adult members, taking part in the Young Eagles program and helping to pass on some of the skills he learned to some of the younger members of the chapter’s Aviation Youth program.

On January 12, 2020, he had to fly from Leesburg International Airport as a student pilot to Dunnellon, FL to take his FAA check ride with a Designated Pilot Examiner. During this test all his paperwork had to be in order, he was asked many aviation questions by the DPE and then finally after all this was completed, he and his examiner took off for the flight test. This is the final step before being granted a Private Pilot’s license. It’s always a time of great anxiety for any aspiring student pilot and a time of great relief when the test is passed.

Upon successful completion of his FAA check ride Mateo was presented with his Private Pilot’s License by his DPE. At that point, he was all smiles and very happy.

FAA examiner Troy Townsend was very complimentary about Mateo’s readiness for the check ride and also complimented his Certified Flight Instructor, Michael Abernathy of Sun Aviation for a good teaching job. Troy further complimented EAA Chapter 534 for Mateo’s support and encouraged them to continue to advocate for General Aviation in this way.

The national Ray Scholarship Fund flight education program is awarded through local EAA chapters who qualify. Mateo was the first Aviation Youth member of EAA Chapter 534 to receive this $10,000 scholarship and it is their hope that this award will become an annual event.

It has always been a dream of Mateo to become a commercial pilot and now he has completed this first big step.

The chapter wishes Mateo continued success as he continues to move ahead towards his goals to one day be an airline pilot.

If you would like to find out more about EAA Chapter 534 or EAA in general, you may go to the following web sites < www.534.eaachapter.org > < www.eaa.org >

(Photos taken by Ted Luebbers and Steve Tilford)

The post Experimental Aviation Association Youth Member Earns Private Pilot’s License appeared first on South Lake Tablet.