Young Eagles heighten interest

Over 25 children explored new heights at the Navasota Municipal Airport June 14, at the annual Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) Young Eagles program event.

The Young Eagles program is free and allows youth ages 8-17 the opportunity to go flying in a general aviation airplane. The pilots participating in the program are volunteers who are members of EAA. “Today we had five planes and five pilots along with several other volunteers helping us today,” said Michael Dearing, a local pilot who has given approximately 20 youth their first ride in an airplane. “I have had several kids ride with me that have never, ever flown in an airplane before. It is pretty cool to be able to make that a good experience for them. They enjoy it. It is nice to have the privilege of taking them up for the first time and introduce them to something I really love and hopefully maybe they can do the same thing.”

Before taking flight, youth learned how the small aircrafts function. They were given a guided tour of a plane where they learned about how the plane is controlled, how speed is gauged, conducting a pre-flight checklist and more. There was also plenty of time for questions.

The Examiner spoke with 8-year-old Ezra before his first flight, and he was excited for the opportunity. “I think I will see lots of trees and people driving cars,” he said. He said this is a “cool” program and he is ready to go “fast” in the air.

Since its first liftoff in 1992, over 2 million children have logged flights in the program. Upon completion of the first flight, EAA Young Eagles volunteer pilots provide the student with a logbook that has a free membership code for the EAA Student Membership program. The membership includes free access to the Sporty’s Learn to Fly Course, free admission to over 300 science and technology museums, Academy of Model Aeronautics Student Membership, free electronic copy of EAA Sport Aviation, free first flight lesson after completion of the Sporty’s learn to Fly Course, access to valuable flight training awards, education scholarships, Air Academy camperships and more.

Aside from being a free program offered to youth, Dearing said there are other opportunities as well that have scholarship opportunities for students wanting to pursue a career in aviation.

Children were also treated to grilled hot dogs, snacks and drinks at the event.

Dearing said if youth are interested in taking flight, they can reach out to him to schedule flights via email, mpd@dearingsales.com.

View a video recap of the event on the Navasota Examiner Facebook page.