Bad weather did not dampen the enthusiasm at the second annual Young Aviators Fly-In at Triple Tree Aerodrome in Woodruff, S.C., June 21-23, 2019.
The three-day event included career seminars, Young Eagle flights, cookouts, nightly movies, free camping, fantastic raffle items, and RC demonstrations.
“Despite the weather, the turnout for the second annual Young Aviators did not disappoint,” said Cayla McLeod, co-chair of the Young Aviators Council.
She reports that 200 pilots and their families camped out under their airplanes despite the storms. All told 500 people came through the gates for the fly-in.
“The rain and storms turned away many of the pilots who were planning to fly in and just spend the afternoon with us, but we invite those who could not make it out — and those who did make it — to the Triple Tree Fly-In in September,” she said, adding that fly-in is slated for Sept. 2-8, 2019.
The busiest part of the weekend came on Saturday morning when 14 pilots conducted Young Eagle flights for 83 students. The pilots came from EAA chapters in Greenville, S.C., Lawrenceville, Georgia, Knoxville, Tennessee, and Saint Simons Island, Georgia.
Meals and raffle items were sponsored by the Academy of Model Aeronautics (AMA), Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA), Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA), Textron Aviation, UPS, Piedmont Airlines, Cirrus, Greenville Aviation, Hobby Horizon, and others.
Also on Saturday, career seminars were held in the Robert Shaw Learning Center.
Martin Kirkwood, the director of Career Pathways at Republic Airlines, presented the Leadership in Flight Training (LIFT) Academy flight program. Republic Airlines has invested $30 million into this training program.
Two women from UPS discussed the job outlook for commercial pilots and what UPS is looking for in candidates.
Bern McPheely, retired CEO of Hartness International, shared decades of hiring and interviewing insights about how to interview for a job.
A Greenville Aviation Flight School representative presented the training costs and lifestyle of a commercial pilot.
Flight simulators in the Robert Shaw Learning Center were available for use all day.
Saturday night featured a chicken dinner and live band sponsored by AOPA. The Carolina Coast Band played beach music and oldies.
Then Cayla announced the winners of the raffle items, which included RC airplanes, discovery flights, and a Gleim private pilot kit. EAA donated four AirVenture Weekly tickets and rides in the TriMotor, a B-17, a Bell 47, and a behind the scenes experience with an airshow performer.
Funds from raffle tickets and donations went toward the Aviation Centered Education (ACE) program at Triple Tree.
