Young Eagles Workshop Review

EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2005 – August 24, 2005
Karen Reich, Young Eagles Intern

The Young Eagles Workshop in the Nature Center, attended by 150 members, began with an introduction by Steve Buss, the Young Eagles Executive Director. Shortly after, six breakout sessions were held to give more information about how to further the Young Eagles Program and ideas for educating children and young adults about aviation.

Session 1: Barbara Goodwin, EAA Chapter 221, Kalamazoo, Mich. Barb is the 2005 recipient of the Young Eagles Horizon Award.

This session focused on sparking an interest in aviation in young children. A packet was distributed giving examples of “Exciting Aviation Experiments” that teach necessary elements of science related to flight. The six parts were Properties of Air, Newton’s Three Laws of Motion, Four Forces that Affect an Airplane in Flight, Parts of an Airplane, Navigation, and Weather. Barbara explained some of the experiments in detail. One of the experiments is the “Garbage Bag Table Lift”, which upon completion, demonstrates how air holds up an airplane if there is enough thrust. She also handed out copies of “Learn to Fly and Become a Pilot” which is a free booklet from Gleim Publications (and is available free of charge to all Young Eagle pilots – order details). The book explains the basics of flying. During this session one Young Eagles pilot mentioned that the website www.buildandfly.com from the American Academy of Aeronautics is also a good resource to find educational aviation-related activities for children. Contact Barb for more information.

Session 2: Kirk Foecking, EAA Chapter 75. Kirk received the 2005 Chapter Coordinator award.

Focusing mainly on how to make Young Eagle events fun and more simple to run, Kirk mentioned that holding smaller events sometimes works better and makes it easy to have them more often. Making the event simple to run means being prepared. He discussed how it is the duty of the Young Eagles event coordinator to have everything organized ahead of time. This includes having insurance information available, having certificates printed ahead of time, and being ready with answers to questions. Another thing he mentioned was the importance of not trying to micromanage the event. The people helping are volunteers too, so they should be left to do their jobs even if its being done differently than the coordinator might do it, assuming that their way works and is safe. Kirk also said that having food available always makes people happy! Contact Kirk for more information.

Session 3: Ralph and Elaine Phillips, EAA Chapter 977. The Phillips are the 2005 Ground Support Volunteer award recipients.

Ralph and Elaine’s philosophy on how to run a Young Eagles event centers around one word: Appreciation! They explained that all 51 members in their chapter are involved in the Young Eagles program. Elaine calls each member to thank them for their support and let them know about the next upcoming event. Ralph and Elaine stressed the importance of letting people take the roles they enjoy at the event and if they come up with better ideas to let them do it their way. Also, they create a title for every person helping with the event so that they are in charge of their own portion. At the end of each event, there is an appreciation luncheon where every pilot and member of the ground crew receives a certificate for being involved in the activity. (Appreciation certificates are available from the Young Eagles office). For the kids, they have pictures of the pilot who flew them standing in front of their plane. Next to the picture is the name of the pilot, the type of aircraft and the date flown. The kids are able to look at displays of different kinds of aircraft such as helicopters and ultralights. Ralph and Elaine also make sure each child thanks their pilot for the flight. Food seemed to be an important part of this session too with even the Pepsi deliverers having cupcakes made especially for them. They also hold an annual awards banquet honoring all the members for helping throughout the year. Contact Ralph and Elaine for more information.

Session 4: Carol MacCabe, Rolling Meadows, Ill. Carol is the 2005 Field Representative award.

Carol’s strong suit is her ability to get Young Eagles information out to the public. Carol discussed writing news releases and making sure that they include the six important elements: who, what, where, when, why, and how. She said the hardest part is getting started, but not to worry if you lack great writing skills because if you can get the facts down on paper, someone else can always edit it. Carol also mentioned that one great place to get the word out about Young Eagles is the library. Ask to put up a display with a list of upcoming events and have things such as Young Eagles buttons or magnets available for people to take. Another way to get children interested in aviation is to read about it. Librarians will often help get a list of books together about aviation for the display. Schools are another great place to talk about Young Eagles. An aviation unit for a class can easily hit on three subjects: math, science, and English. By learning things about airplanes, for example, how they function or the speeds at which they travel, the kids learn a great deal about math and science. At the end of the unit, English will be incorporated when the children write a report about the unit or a specific aspect of aviation that interests them. Carol also mentioned that being available to speak to a class is an excellent opportunity not only to get them more interested in aviation but also to let the classes know about the Young Eagles program. Contact Carol for more information.

Session 5: Dr. Lee Siudzinski and Michele Robbins, EAA Headquarters.

Lee and Michele provided information about EAA AeroScholars, a program that provides online aviation courses for high school students. There are two courses. The first is Fundamentals of Aviation Science, which is recommended for high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors. The second course, which can be taken after successful completion of the first course, is Advanced Aviation Science. High school and college credit can be received for these courses. Two college credits can be earned for the first course and three for the second. If both courses are completed, the student is then prepared to take the FAA Private Pilot written exam. The courses are offered in spring, summer, and fall sessions and there are 17 weeks of online lesson material, though the courses are self-paced. There is also live interaction with trained support staff and instructors available. Through the program students can receive a virtual tour of the EAA AirVenture Museum. This program will also motivate students to participate in the Young Eagles program and to attend EAA Chapter meetings. To see a demonstration lesson, visit the EAA AeroScholars web site.

Session 6: John and Sue Durbin, EAA Chapter 274, Lovington, Ill. John and Sue received this year’s Phillips Leadership award from ConocoPhillips.

John and Sue, like the others, have been very dedicated to the Young Eagles program. They make things such as hats, business card magnets, key-chains, T-shirts, and even buttons for the pilots with pictures of their planes on them. Their Chapter has flown many different groups of children such as 4-H members, YMCA groups, and they’ve even flown birthday parties. They also sell items on EBAY to raise funds and are currently looking for corporate sponsorship. One very unique idea they had that has grown into a great success, is a program they call Train-A-Pilot. It is a scholarship program to get a student through the process of getting their pilot’s license. They first send out applications to high schools in the area. In order to qualify for the scholarship a student must maintain a B-average, be 16-18 years old, and write an essay on why they want to fly. The scholarship committee formed in their chapter goes through the applications and picks the top five candidates. They then hold a meeting in May with the students and their parents where each candidate gives a three-minute speech and members have a chance to ask them questions. When the speeches are finished they have a social period and then the chapter members select a scholarship recipient. The student receiving the scholarship will pay about $200 out of their pocket which goes toward a medical certificate and books. The Chapter pays the rest, which ends up equating to about $4,500. The student is given one year to complete their training and earn their license. John and Sue proudly report that none of their scholarship recipients have taken that long to complete their training. Contact John and Sue for more information.

When the breakout sessions were completed, three additional speakers addressed the group.

Chuck Larsen, the Executive Director of Residence Education, spoke briefly about the importance of educating children about aviation. He updated the group on the EAA Air Academy and the scholarships and internships available through EAA.

Adam Smith, Vice President of Museum and Education, discussed some ideas that members had given him about giving children an opportunity to further their involvement in aviation, including a review and revitalization of EAA’s youth or student memberships.

Finally, the group was joined by Young Eagles Chairman Harrison Ford who took time to thank the Coordinators for their hard work on behalf of the program and encouraged them to continue their support of Young Eagles. Mr. Ford also assisted in handing out several EAA AirVenture Service Awards and a 500 Mission recognition plaque for Herb Carlson of California.

The workshop concluded with a group photo, lunch and an opportunity to socialize and meet other program volunteers.

Young Eagles Horizon award recipient Barb Goodwin

Chapter Coordinator award recipient Kirk Foecking

Ralph and Elaine Phillips, Young Eagles Ground Support award recipients

Field Representative award recipient Carol MacCabe

Dr. Lee Siudzinski (seated, center) explains EAA AeroScholars on line aviation course.

John Durbin (above) and his wife, Sue, received this year’s Phillips Leadership award.

Herb Carlson receives his 500 mission plaque from Harrison Ford