Safety first, then fun in the air

Experimental Aircraft Association Chapter 534, based at Leesburg International Airport (KLEE) in Florida, holds a Young Eagles rally every a month.

The latest was Dec. 17, 2022, the 119th anniversary of the first flight. During that event, the chapter’s experience in holding the rallies was evident, with lessons for other pilots who would like to introduce someone to aviation.

Since its founding in 1992, the Experimental Aircraft Association Young Eagles program has flown more than 2.3 million kids. Volunteer pilots across the nation donate their time, airplanes, and money to cover fuel and other expenses to the effort, which is designed to give young people between the ages of 8 and 17 their first flight in an airplane.

By The Book

For EAA Chapter 534, the rallies begin with the chapter’s Young Eagle Chief Pilot, Joel Hargis, giving the volunteer pilots an orientation on weather, what air traffic to expect, and special Young Eagles call signs he has worked out with the control tower so these flights can easily be distinguished from other traffic calling in.

He gives them some latitude as to where and for how long they should fly, but the flights last generally 15 to 20 minutes. If the child lives close to the airport, pilots will try to give them the chance to see their neighborhood from the air.

After the pilot briefing, Joel then gives an orientation about the Young Eagles program to the young people and their parents.

During this presentation, he emphasizes that the first consideration is safety.

All the aircraft that fly on rally day have been pre-flighted by their pilot owners beforehand. However, all the kids will be taken to one airplane on the ramp and shown how to properly do a complete pre-flight inspection of that aircraft, including the effect of the control surfaces during flight.

Other safety considerations explained to the kids include:

• Each Young Eagle wears a seat belt and a headset so that they can talk to the pilot.
• During takeoff and landing they are asked to maintain a “sterile cockpit.” That means no talking while the pilot concentrates on takeoff and landing and is talking to the tower.
• On run-up if anything looks questionable about the plane, it will return to the ramp and the young person will be assigned to another aircraft.
• If the young person is asked if he or she would like to try flying the plane once it is in the air, they are instructed what to say when taking the controls and relinquishing them. That would be the standard, “my airplane, your airplane.”
• Joel also stresses the danger of spinning propellers and the importance of following the instructions of the chapter guides when on the ramp.

Joel then concludes his talk to the kids and their parents by pointing out that once all the safety considerations are met, the main thing is to have fun.

The kids are then assigned to a pilot and a plane. During the latest rally, there were seven aircraft waiting on the ramp for their young crew members.

Once the flights are complete, the kids are informed about the next steps if they want to learn more, including their free access to Sporty’s online Learn to Fly Course.

In November 2022, that next step reached a milestone, with EAA officials reporting more than 100,000 Young Eagles have taken advantage of the free course.

To find out more about Young Eagles, go to YoungEagles.org.