We don’t need to attract every kid, just the next kid… or three.
Seventeen-year-old Ella, 16-year-old Jonathan and 15-year-old Benjamin Robbins are passionate about aviation. The homeschooled trio from Ferndale, Wash., have been designing and building their own radio-controlled aircraft for several years.
A family friend took each of the kids for a ride in his Ercoupe and the three came away smitten.
While researching their next step, the trio came across Mission Aviation Training Academy (MATA) in nearby Arlington, Wash. Making hand knit socks, hats, gloves, turned wooden bowls, pepper grinders and more, the siblings sold enough product at farmer’s markets to pay for MATA’s $500 summer camp.
“Every day we had several hours of ground school, then got into the airplanes and practiced what we had learned for another several hours,” says Ella. “Each of us earned about four hours of flying time towards our private pilot’s licenses. The next step for us is to continue flight training, which we want to do with MATA, and earn our private pilot’s licenses. We are still knitting and turning, and selling our products, but realize that it will take years of Farmer’s Markets to pay for flight training.”
That’s why the three have turned to crowd-funding website IndieGoGo.
“We are three siblings working towards flying as bush pilots to help meet real world needs!”
They hope to raise $19,500 in total so each can earn their private pilot certificate. A first step to aviation to serve their fellow man. Donors will receive a variety of prizes such as a hand-turned wood bowl from Jonathan and Benjamin, a pair of baby socks from Ella or a hand-built Piper Cub model and more.
So… here are three kids who’ve put together a nice looking information packet, have a goal beyond just learning to fly and have already taken several steps. They just need a little financial assistance.
Too often we complain there aren’t enough kids interested in learning to fly. Well, here’s three. If only 1,000 pilots stepped up with $20 each, we’d have three more pilots. Sounds like a pretty good return on investment to me. What do you think?
go get a JOB!
Sarah; LOVE it! The days of the “everybody ELSE pays but the user” are coming to an end – and so is “free” recreational GA!
Go get a life Sarah…
Sarah… If you would have taken the time to READ the story instead of rushing to be the first “negative, nasty, UNhelpful person to get your post on the site” you would have seen that these kids ( all three of them to be exact ) DO have jobs! No, they aren’t working at the local liquor store. Im sure there would be a child labor law infraction to deal with. But, they are doing jobs, crafts and whatever they can to get them towards their goals. They are seeking assistance along with what they have earned to accomplish something very important and needed. It’s impressive for such young kids to have such ambition and they have already started fulfilling their dreams. If you can’t help, that’s fine. But please, don’t stand in their way!!!
I had a flash back when i read your history my 3 young captains, since i remembre i always wanted to be a pilot and nobody bélives in me, even my parents, but my Dream was so big and still until today i remembre that i sell lemonade, babysitting, wash dishes and many other things only for earn my wings.
The sacrifice is big but the rewards taste like heaven.
My 3 young captains, keep the dream alive, work and study hard and the dream will come true.
Your friend David from Mexico and also first oficer in the B777 in AeroMexico.
I cut off a finger and sold it, got enough to finance all of my ratings.
Congratulations! You all missed the point of this entire thing. They were not asking whether a 60 degree bank is or isn’t required. They are 3 dedicated, hard working, enthusiastic young people that are trying to pay their own way to become a licensed pilot. They are doing all they can to achieve their goals but to accomplish this they are going to need a little help… From us. We can decide the bank angle problem at another time. For now… Let’s get these kids who are on the right path a little closer to their goal. I’m in!
Agree David! I’m in as well!
When I got my private license(FAA now calls it a certificate), 60 degree banks were required and also had to have an instructor’s log entry that we had done spins. Mr. Russell probably wouldn’t have passed that checkride.
Ben, the question on the table is ” What do you think?”. I think if you printed a PO Box
where we could donate, they would have their money in short order. I’m ready to help them out, but where would I send a donation?
Thanks, GREAT article, as always.
RC
Ron,
Click on the IndieGoGo link (red text) and it will take you to their page where you can donate online.
Contribution is easy. Go to the website mentioned in the ariticle.
I hate terriable to say a negative word about this program—–
GET THAT QUOTE –60– DEGREE BANK—- off that web site!!
Almost only fighter Jet pilots make 60degree banks.
A bank past 45 degrees are tough to recover from and the plane wants to go steeper
the steeper the bank the harder to recover from, A training aircraft should never see a 60 degree bank—- only a very experienced pilot can recover from it– it is a death trap called the death spiral. Some Instructor reading this —please elaborate before disaster strikes!! Commercial rated-Instrument Rated Pilot. William M. Russell
A 60 degree bank IS steeper than required for the PPL, however it is a standard maneuver and requirement for the commercial rating. A 60 degree bank in level flight is a 2G maneuver– well within the Structural limits of even your garden-variety Cessna 172. Rick, CFI
Then as a commercially rated pilot you know the commercial pilot PTS calls for steep turns at a bank of NO LESS than 50 degrees. It’s a wonder either one of us made it out alive
I did 60 degree turns during my ppl. They are steep and require a lot of rudder but hard to recover from? No or not on any plane I have flown so far. Also did a lot of other things most pilots now days are scared to death of. My CFI drilled it in me to know how to fly an airplane. I took his advice as he lived through 13000+ logged hours in J3 to DC-3.
William, it takes approximately 2.5 g’s to maintain level flight in 60 degrees of bank, well within the capabilities of a Normal or Utility category aircraft. A level turn is not a death spiral…keep it coordinated and use aileron to maintain bank.
Sorry guys, but i teach 60 degree banks to all of my students, as well as spins and upset training, they need to know what they are up against and how to respond, any CFI that does not, is not worth the money they are paid, no matter how little it might be.
It’s easy to say kids aren’t interested in flying when you already have your privates or commercials license. The cost of learning to fly is what stops most of us from pursing our passion to fly. If there was a program that could help us ” less fortunate” ones to purse our passion I can almost guarantee more would be interested. I know for myself I would jump right into a course that was reasonable in price and I wouldnt have a loan over my head for the next 20+ years.
Joshua, Respecfully – WRONG! What “stops” TODAYS kids from flying IS lack of interest AND other more INSTANT gratifying and less costly alternatives COMBINED.. But then I guess if EVERYONE was offered an LSA or Private license for say $1-2 bucks, we’d have more takers?