October 2010 –
EAA has a winner with its Young Eagles program. Besides being a fun, feel-good activity for everyone involved, the program is making strides in growing the population of pilots and in showing the general public how important General Aviation can be.
The program, which celebrates its 20th anniversary this year, has introduced over 1.7 million youth (1,715,760, to be exact) to flight in a General Aviation aircraft. That’s more than eight times the number of active, certificated private pilots in the United States.
According to the YoungEagles.org website, 7 percent of current pilots are former Young Eagles. Jeff Skiles and Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger are honorary co-chairmen for the program, which has volunteers in 90 countries.
Impressive Numbers
Dedicated volunteers David and Laramie Resler have coordinated their Fort Wayne, Ind. EAA chapter’s Young Eagles program for the past seven years. EAA Chapter 2 began holding Young Eagles rallies in 1992, introducing over 6,500 youth ages eight to 17 to flying.
Since the Reslers took over the coordinating duties, they’ve doubled the number of flights accomplished—in a third of the time. For their part, David and Laramie have flown 700 kids in their white Piper Cherokee 180, N55057. “We enjoy seeing the kids’ faces light up after a flight,” Laramie said. “We’re hooked.”
Awards and Praise
This past July, the Reslers received the 2012 Phillips 66® Aviation Leadership Award. The award was conferred during the annual Young Eagles banquet at EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh.
Kevin Stahl, EAA Chapter 2 president, said, “Without David and Laramie, the Young Eagles program would not be what it is today for EAA Chapter 2.”
But David is quick to pass the praise on to others.
“It’s not all because of us, it’s because of the people that volunteer to work these rallies; they help us keep this thing going. We have 40-plus ground crew volunteers and pilots to help us,” he said. “That’s why we are so successful, because we have the support of the chapter.”
And not just their home chapter. The Reslers caught the attention of EAA Vintage Chapter 37 in Auburn, Ind., and have signed on to be Chapter 37’s Young Eagles coordinators as well. Now they can introduce even more young people and their parents to General Aviation.
Personal Investment
The Reslers, like so many Young Eagles volunteers, clearly have a personal investment in the program. David and Laramie arrange, promote, coordinate—and of course, fly—during the rallies. These events regularly bring 10 to 15 volunteer pilots and up to 100 kids to Smith Field (KSMD), four miles north of Fort Wayne.
If bad weather cancels the official rally, the Reslers improvise. “I bet I fly more on my own that I do at rallies,” David estimated. Many kids and their parents have been invited out to the Resler farm’s grass runway for a flight. In 2011, David flew almost 250 kids, adding to the ranks of young people who have had a positive experience with General Aviation.
David and Laramie are among a group of 43,000 pilots who have introduced kids to the world as viewed from the sky. “It’s rewarding to see the kids get so excited about flying and want to get involved in aviation,” said Laramie.
The Reslers hold full-time “real” jobs at an insurance company, but Young Eagles is a big part of their lives. “I love it,” Laramie said. “I don’t want to give it up.”
In fact, she wants to fly even more. After being inspired by the rallies, Laramie received her pilot certificate. She has taken 25 Young Eagles to the skies so far.
Right now, David does most of the flying, while Laramie handles the insurance, paperwork and event planning. David’s goal is to complete 1,000 flights, then, he says, he will step back—which will allow Laramie to take the yoke more often.
With this kind of enthusiasm, the Reslers might be real contenders in the 100+ Missions Club, a list of the Young Eagles pilots who have flown 100 or more youth since the inception of the program. The current record holder is Fred Stadler of Oshkosh, who has flown 5,038 Young Eagles (and counting).
Persistence
To fly this many youth—and do so with such regularity—you’d have to be always recruiting. And the Reslers do, using printed fliers, banners and cards to convey the message. “We’re pretty passionate about it pushing it hard to get kids involved,” said David.
“We’re out looking for kids eight to 17 all the time. We hand their parents a card and say, ‘Hey, this is something you might want to look into.’”
“I’ve seen David hand out Young Eagle information to complete strangers in a restaurant while waiting in line, explained Kurt Beuchel, EAA Chapter 2 member. “They are always recruiting volunteers and thinking of ways to create a better experience for the children at our rallies.”
“The Reslers have a great willingness to share their love of aviation with anyone of any age,” Beuchel continued. He called the Reslers’ energy and enthusiasm for the program amazing.
Rebates, Insurance—and a New Program
Phillips 66 Aviation supports Young Eagles with a fuel rebate offered to volunteer pilots. The program gives a $1 per gallon rebate on Avgas purchases.
“We definitely use the Phillips 66 rebate,” David said. The Reslers are in good company there, as over 4,000 pilots have used the rebate since the program began in the mid-1990s. These pilots have flown hundreds of thousands of Young Eagles.
In addition to a fuel rebate, EAA members who fly Young Eagles are eligible for “up to $1 million passenger liability insurance coverage, if they carry a minimum of $100,000 per seat liability insurance,” according to the Young Eagles website. This coverage is automatically in place when flying Young Eagles.
On July 24 of this year, EAA launched its Eagles program, geared to adults who have always wanted to fly. The purpose is to “discover the fun, freedom, and accessibility of personal aviation through a hands-on introductory flight experience,” and to reach out to adults and cultivate more participation in aviation.
Pilots who are already Young Eagles pilots are automatically qualified to be Eagle pilots. The participants, besides having a memorable one-on-one aviation experience for free, will receive a six-month membership in EAA.
Leading by Example
It’s no secret that the goal of both of these programs is to turn passengers into pilots. Matt Anger is just one example of someone who had a Young Eagles experience that changed his life.
Anger went from being headed to business school to being headed to flight school after his first flight as a high school senior. Anger, a graduate of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, piloted the C-5 Galaxy to Oshkosh last July.
Brad Moore, EAA Chapter 2 member, is another. “David and Laramie had a lot to do with my decision to become a pilot,” said Moore. “Leading by example, they encouraged me and other members” to fly and to participate with the Young Eagles program. Today, Moore has himself flown 150 Young Eagles. The circle of mentoring continues.
Sources: “How to Ensure the Future of General Aviation?” by Mark Klein; “From Young Eagle to U.S. Air Force C-5 Pilot” by Sienna Kossman; EAA.org; YoungEagles.org; Wikipedia.org.
Heather Skumatz is associate editor for Piper Flyer. Send questions or comments to editor@www.piperflyer.com.
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