Young Eagles
Have you been at SMD on a Saturday during the summer and saw a lot of kids and parents milling around the ramp by Hangar 2? Did you wonder what was going on? It was a Young Eagles Rally, but what is a Young Eagles Rally?
Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) developed the Young Eagles Program in order to encourage youth to become pilots, air traffic controllers, aircraft mechanics, and many other aviation related occupations. According to the EAA website, “The EAA Young Eagles program was launched in 1992 to give interested young people, ages 8 – 17, an opportunity to go flying in a general aviation airplane. These flights are offered free of charge and are made possible through the generosity of EAA member volunteers. Since 1992, more than 1,765,000 Young Eagles have enjoyed a flight through the program. Young Eagles have been registered in more than 90 different countries and have been flown by more than 42,000 volunteer pilots.”
The Young Eagles Rally is an event where we, members of EAA Chapter 2, provide area youth with that airplane ride. In addition to the flight, we hold a “mini ground school” where we explain what makes an airplane fly. Those kids who have flown before have heard this, so we would like to start explaining other aspects of aviation such as weather, chart reading, instruments, or airspace. We need some volunteers to explain these various aspects of aviation. Each session will be about 15 minutes long. The number of kids in each group will vary from 10 to 30.
Would you be willing to help us at one or more of our Young Eagle Rallies this summer? You don’t have to be an EAA member, just know something about the topic that you will be explaining to the kids. The dates for our Rallies at SMD this year are May 11, June 8, August 10, and September 14. We’ll start the mini ground school about 8:30. Flights start about 9:00 AM and end around 1:00 PM. Morning refreshments and lunch will be provided to all volunteers. If you can help, please contact David or Laramie Resler at 260-693-6191 or at lresler@brotherhoodmutual.com.