Nearly 600 Scouts Receive Young Eagles Flights

They say everything is bigger in Texas... and the Experimental Aircraft Association tells ANN that applies to Young Eagles events, too.

Volunteer EAA pilots -- including several from EAA's Southwest Regional Fly-In (Texas Fly-In) -- provided nearly 600 Boy Scouts with Young Eagle flights during the third annual Hondo Aviation Day and EAA Young Eagles Aviation Merit Badge weekend on Saturday, March 17. The combination campout/aviation merit badge weekend was held at SWRFI's home field, Hondo Municipal Airport... and brought participating scouts one step closer to becoming Eagle Scouts.

EAA Chapter 35 Young Eagle Coordinator Brad Doppelt organized the Young Eagle flights, allowing a total of 591 scouts to receive flights in 26 airplanes. More than 906 scouts attended the program, along with help from about 100 volunteers.

The scouts rotated among five different stations throughout the day, including four aviation class sessions for the merit badge requirements. Sessions included Aircraft Technology, taught by John Siemens, chief test pilot at Sino Swearingen Aircraft Corp.; Aviation History, taught by retired Brig. Gen. Julius Braun, USAF; Models and Wind Tunnels, taught by NASA's Elaine Stephens; and Static Aircraft Orientation, Maj. Roch LaRocca, USAF.

Aircraft on static display at the event included a Sino-Swearingen SJ30 bizjet, a Rans S-18 Stinger, and a Van's RV-9.

"Our third annual Hondo Aviation Day was a great success because we surrounded ourselves with great support," said event Chairman John Latour of EAA Chapter 35. "We put together so many good people in key positions, you can't miss."

FMI: www.swrfi.org