Not back country, but I bet some people will still enjoy it.

I happened to be a couple planes behind Sean when he did his first young eagles flight after being named honorary chair at OSH. I think some of the footage they were shooting made it into this video.

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Speaking of Sean... what do you BCP guys and gals think of the choice EAA made in appointing him as Young Eagles chair?

In our chapter, we have mixed feelings. Everyone, to the very last member, is in awe of Sean as an airshow performer. Top notch all the way. But we have a few people who are not sure that an airshow aerobatic superstar (even the best, which he is) is the right person for that job.

The logic is that an airshow person is only relevant to people who have gone to an airshow, and those people are already interested in aviation to one degree or another.

The largest group of people we are trying to reach are the kids and parents who have not thought about aviation... the people to whom Sean Tucker's name is not known.

Imagine if the Young Eagles chairman was some young country music cutie pie like Carrie Underwood, or Taylor Swift. Having that name associated with Young Eagles would provide a huge jump in participation, press, etc. If I were Jack Pelton or the Young Eagles program manager, I'd go to one of these modern , youth-relevant celebrities and offer to teach them how to fly, all the way up through Private Pilot, if they agree to serve a few years as Young Eagles chairperson. The celebrity would get a bunch of good press for months at a time, EAA would get a bunch of good press, and the Young Eagles program would get triple the interest form the public.

To minimize the thread hijack, I congratulate Sean on the appointment, and congratulate him on becoming a superstar in one of the most demanding professions in existence. That video was spectacular, and totally attention-grabbing. Having seen a video of Sean awarding a custom leather jacket to an EAA chapter that flew 15,000 kids, I can say that his energy level is unmatched.

I'm a big Sean Tucker fanboy, so maybe my opinion is colored by the fact that I was grinning from ear to ear finally getting to meet him in person at OSH. (I'm *way* taller than him, he's still a better pilot).

Disclaimer having been noted, I think he is a good choice. YE chair isn't a "for life" position like some at EAA. I thought the hudson guys were a great choice due to their visibility and hero status. I think Sean is a great choice because it shines a light on different portion of aviation. After Sean does his time I'd be happy to see one of the notables you mention be the face of the program. In fact, I'd be ok with making the YE chair an annual or bi-annual appointment. Keep the turnover high to keep the variety of faces fresh and different (e.g. country music stars have zero appeal to most of the people I know and want to attract to aviation, but definitely do appeal to a large segment of the population, so let's just be mindful of that and have enough variety to make a tent big enough for everyone).

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to get back to working on my fake ID showing my age to be 16 so I can get a ride with him...

I would have the same delirious smile on my face as some of those kids if I were sitting in front of Sean. I flew a Pitts S2A for 3 years and competed in IAC contests, but I never did low level work, and I never felt I had mastered the plane. It was clear early on that the plane could take a lot more than I could in terms of severe acro and that inspired confidence, but landing that beast always took all of my concentration.

Sean may not have the name recognition of some other public personalities, but many kids are attracted to edgier sports these days. Kids have been exposed to the X-Games, to bicycle trials and stunt riders at most major bicycling events and to the radical edge in skiing and snow boarding. That reduces the attraction of straight and level flying represented by airliners and most GA pursuits. Kids that have cut their teeth on thrill-a-minute video often have short attention spans for anything that appears mundane. If a youngster develops an interest in aviation at all, they are likely to be attracted by some of the edgier aspects of flying. When I had my Pitts, I had a LOT more kids approach me and ask questions about the plane than ever happened with Grumman, Cessna or Maule GA aircraft I've owned. I think Sean will do a good job of pulling in kids that might not be interested in the kind of flying past Chairmen have presented, and in that regard I think he is a good choice for now. If he builds enthusiasm and an understanding that flying is for more than just transportation, that will be good for the sport.