Young Eagles

The Young Eagles is a program of the US Experimental Aircraft Association designed to give children between the ages of 8 to 17 a chance to fly in a general aviation airplane free of charge. The program was launched in 1992 and had flown over 1.3 million children by the summer of 2007.

The volunteer pilots who fly the children cover all the costs of providing the flights.

Program History

The Young Eagles program was started as a result of concerns within the recreational aviation community in the late 1980s that the population of pilots was aging. Many pilots noticed that meetings of flying clubs, including EAA chapters, were dominated by people with grey hair and that aviation was not attracting young people in any significant numbers.

In 1991 an EAA survey indicated that 92% of members wanted EAA to take steps to engage more young people in aviation. EAA's response was based on the social psychological concept of "mere exposure" - that giving just one opportunity for a million children to fly would make a difference to the pilot demographic over time. This concept gave birth to the Young Eagles program on May 13, 1992 when the program was announced in Washington DC. With the program into its second decade EAA have been proven right, as some children who flew as Young Eagles early in the program are now flying Young Eagles themselves as pilots years later.

International Young Eagles

Children have flown as part of this program in over 90 countries.

In Canada EAA partnered with the Canadian Owners and Pilots Association in the Young Eagles program between 1992 and 2008. COPA members have flown about 10% of the Young Eagles flown world wide. COPA participation was ended on 31 May 2008 due to insurance difficulties. cite web|url = http://www.copanational.org/non-members/YoungEagles/JQ08030%20COPA%20special%20eNewsFlash.pdf|title = COPA e-NewsFlash|accessdate = 2008-07-20|last = Canadian Owners & Pilots Association|authorlink = |year = 2008|month = May] cite web|url = http://www.copanational.org/non-members/body_files/COPA%20Lauch%20Kid%20program%20Aug08.htm|title = COPA to launch kids aviation program|accessdate = 2008-07-30|last = Canadian Owners & Pilots Association|authorlink = |year = 2008|month = July]

Chapter Involvement

Many EAA chapters organize their club event calendars around a series of "Young Eagles Days" where large numbers of children are flown in a highly controlled and structured environment. The program has become part of the culture of both national organizations.

Pilot Participation

Any pilot who is an EAA or COPA member can fly Young Eagles as long as they have access to an aircraft that is permitted to carry passengers and appropriate insurance. Pilots may fly Young Eagles as part of an organized Young Eagles Day or just individually.

Over 40,000 pilots have participated in the program, freely giving their time and paying the full cost of providing the flights for the children in their own or rented aircraft. While some pilots have only flown a few Young Eagles there are many pilots who have flown more than a thousand children.

Honorary Chairman

At the program's inception EAA decided to recruit a well-known person to act as Honorary Chairman and raise the profile of the program.

The first Honorary Chairman was actor Cliff Robertson who served in that capacity from 1992 to 1994.

Robertson was succeeded in 1994 by retired USAF General and test pilot Chuck Yeager, the first person to intentionally break the sound barrier. Yeager relinquished the Honorary Chairman position in 2004 but remains involved in the program as "Chairman Emeritus".

In March, 2004 actor and pilot Harrison Ford became Honorary Chairman of the Young Eagles program. Ford has flown over 280 Young Eagles in his various airplanes.

Young Eagles Office and Staff

The program is administered by the Young Eagles Office at EAA headquarters in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. The program is headed by EAA staff member Steve Buss, with Michelle Kunes as program administrator.

List of places that host the Young Eagles

* [http://warhawkairmuseum.org Warhawk Air Museum] in Nampa, Idaho.
* [http://www.airventuremuseum.org/education/youngeagles.asp EAA Museum Pioneer Airport] in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.

References

External links

* [http://www.youngeagles.org/ Young Eagles]
* [http://www.youngeagles.org/news/events/?month=6#YEevents Young Eagles Flight Schedule]
* [http://www.eaa.org/ EAA]
* [http://www.copanational.org The Canadian Owners & Pilots Association]
* [http://www.eaa43.com EAA Chapter 43 in Erie, Colorado]

References

* [http://www.youngeagles.org/volunteers/resources/content/YE%20Resource%20-%20EAA%20Young%20Eagles%20Fact%20Sheet.doc Young Eagles Fact Sheet - accessed 19 August 2006]

* [http://www.copanational.org/non-members/YoungEagles/YoungEagles.htm COPA Young Eagles website - accessed 19 August 2006]