Young
Eagles
Sport
Aviators Inc./EAA Chapter 491 of Santa Ynez and EAA
Chapter 527 of Santa Barbara joined together to offer this program to
youngsters between the ages of 8 and 17.
The
EAA Young Eagles program was launched in 1992 to give interested young people
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 1.25 million 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 nearly 40,000 volunteer pilots.
Lloyd
Sorenson, Young Eagles coordinator for Sport Aviators, said of this year’s
event, “What a great turnout! We have
kids from all over our area and Santa Barbara too!”
Sorenson
and about 10 other pilots offered their airplanes to give these youngsters what
is sometimes the first opportunity to experience flight in something other than
a pressurized aluminum shipping tube (a jet airliner).
Flying
out of Santa Ynez Airport, pilots took the Young Eagles on rides that provided
views of the valley, Lake Cachuma, and the
surrounding countryside. Santa Ynez
Airport is the preferred location for this event, as Santa Barbara is a busier
airport with a control tower that adds some complexity to the operations. Additionally, Santa Barbara usually has a
layer of low clouds in the mornings during this part of the year; Santa Ynez cleared by 9 a.m., allowing the
pilots good flying and viewing conditions.
Pilots
flew a number of very different aircraft, from the ubiquitous Cessna 172 to
experimental-registered Long EZ’s, and a 1948 Aeronca
Sedan were some of the aircraft used to give rides.
Volunteers
from the two chapters provided ground support as well as a hot dog barbecue for
the nearly 150 youngsters and adults who attended this yearly event.
The
Santa Ynez Valley Airport Authority, the quasi-public agency that administers
operations at the airport, provided support to the event by giving substantial
discounts on aviation fuel to the pilots and planes participating in the
event. Jim Kunkle,
president of the authority board, said of the event, “We’ve supported the EAA
in the past and will continue our support.
I think this is a wonderful chance for kids to discover the joys of
aviating.”
The
Experimental Aircraft Association is a national organization founded in 1953 by
a group of individuals in Milwaukee who were interested in building their own
airplanes. Through the decades, the organization expanded its mission to
include antiques, classics, warbirds, aerobatic
aircraft, ultralights, helicoptors
and contemporary manufactured aircraft.
Local
pilot Les Clark, who flew his Long EZ, said “this is a great opportunity for
these kids to see that there is a whole world of excitement for them as long as
they have the motivation to learn … we think these events from the EAA provide
that motivation.”
Sport Aviators welcomes new members to attend its regular
monthly meeting held in hangar J-6 at Santa Ynez Airport at 10 a.m. May 17.