Five Volunteers Are Honored At The Annual Ceremony

Each year at AirVenture in Oshkosh, EAA presents awards to Young Eagles volunteers who have gone above and beyond in their support for the program and those who have made exceptional efforts to introduce young people to the world of aviation.

EAA reflects on its Young Eagles volunteer award ceremony at a luncheon and workshop on Tuesday, July 27, 2021. The ceremony honors those who have gone above and beyond in their support of the program and have made an admirable effort to introduce young people to aviation.

The awards are as follows:

2021 Chapter Young Eagles Coordinator Awards:

Ray Aten is a former schoolteacher in addition to a pilot and aircraft homebuilder, and he has done an outstanding job promoting and organizing his chapter’s Young Eagles flights and youth education programs. He has served as coordinator for Chapter 517 in Missoula, Montana since 2013.

Marjy Leggett has served as the Young Eagles coordinator for Chapter 391 in Pasco, Washington, for the past 12 years. During her tenure, her chapter has flown over 3,800 Young Eagles, and her efforts have allowed her chapter to work together with local authorities and to recruit enough pilots and volunteers to run safe and successful Young Eagles rallies.

2021 Young Eagles Ground Support Volunteer Award:

Dennis Spitaleri has consistently volunteered for Chapter 1298 in Brooksville, Florida, and comes with a positive attitude and excellent leadership. Dennis has helped his chapter streamline its registration, check-in, ground movement, marshalling, and ground safety processes.

Young Eagles Horizon Award: 

Llewellyn (Jack) Langland has served as the Young Eagles coordinator for Chapter 631 in Rice Lake, Wisconsin, for over 20 years. Under Jack’s leadership, the chapter has flown over 9,000 Young Eagles and has two successful Ray scholars, with a third scholar currently going through flight training. 

2021 Phillips 66 Young Eagles Leadership Award:

Douglas Conciatu has been flying Young Eagles every year since 1994, almost as long as this program has been around. He is a longtime member of EAA Chapter 13 in Ray, Michigan. Doug has been involved in aviation for over 50 years, and of his many accomplishments, he considers flying more than 2,400 Young Eagles to be one of his proudest.

FMI: www.eaa.org