Our Chapter had it's first Young Eagles rally of the season on Saturday. We flew just shy of 50 kids. If you have never done a rally I highly encourage you to get involved. It is an incredibly rewarding experience. Our local newspaper came out as well and we got some great front page coverage.



I am in the smaller picture. Going up in my Avid was the first time this kid had ever flown. The look on his face on climbout was priceless and just that moment alone made the whole day worth it!

Great job Joey!

Our chapter here has monthly events, and Young Eagles has become a major activity that keeps the chapter together. We benefit as much as the kids. It's a win win win. Anyone who is concerned about aviation's future and wants to do something about it, IMHO this should be #1 on the list.

I've flown Young Eagles at two different events, and I agree the looks on the kids faces is priceless. If just one kid goes on to become a pilot it's even better.

Young Eagles is a fantastic program. I have it made, all I do is fly kids, someone else deals with their parents. Kids are great and genuine. There's never enough planes, so if you've ever even considered participating--do it. They even provide the insurance.

I was EAA Chapter 608 Young Eagles coordinator for 14 years and I know many stories of kids and their first ride. My wife has helped me all of those years and we still are involved in the Young Eagles. One of those young men I flew went on to the Air Force Academy. I have two memorable flights, one a young boy and the other a young girl. All the parents and I could do to get the child in the plane..scared stiff! Finally got them off the ground, got them to look around while in the air, and a nice ride. When we got back on the ground they were very excited and wanted to go right back up! I realized I had changed someone's whole perspective about flying!
HC

FREE TO BE ME

http://www.freetobemeflyin.com/

While this is not a Young Eagle event I thought some of you may appreciate what a few of us are doing in the SE for pediatric cancer patients. Last year we did the first event at my air strip, 05N, and had a wonderful day. The event allows the patient to spend the day with siblings and experience flight together. One of the thing that happens to families of this sort is that the other siblings seem to sit on the side line while the patient receives all of the attention. This program allows ALL of the family to enjoy the day together with no preferential treatment shown. I can tell you from experience that the Young Eagle flights are fantastic, but, they do not hold a candle to this group. If you are near Eastern NC and would like to participate, feel free to give me a call or email and I will be glad to add you to the list. Do realize that only those families and active volunteers are allowed on site that day for obvious reasons. Hope to hear from you. Look at the web site for more information.