Sixty Young Eagles A Different Point of View
On this Young Eagles Day, the youth were a little bit nervous and some were a little bit scared, but as they were given a mini lesson in aerodynamics and an airplane preflight, their courage rose. Then they eagerly jumped into the co-pilot seats of the single engine airplanes – ready for the ride of their lives!
The first Young Eagles took off about 9:30am to fly high above Santa Ynez Valley.
Throughout the morning, 13 pilots who had donated their time, talent and aircraft took each student on flights and taught them how to climb, turn and descend the aircraft. Three hours later, 60 youth all had become official Young Eagles. Logbooks were signed and certificates were handed out. The array of vintage aircraft that the Young Eagles got to fly were impressive, as were some of the veteran pilots who have been flying since 1953. Below is a list of the EAA pilots, their aircraft and organizational sponsors.
Vern Hanna Stinson 108 EAA Chapter 491
Stillman Chase Cessna 140 EAA Chapter 527
Bill Vrastil Mooney EAA Chapter 491
Paul Trent Piper 235 (Pathfinder) EAA Chapter 527
Joanie Steinberger Piper Cherokee 150 EAA Chapter 527
Lloyd Sorensen Cessna 140 EAA Chapter 527 & 491
Sandra Leppe Cessna Skyhawk EAA Chapter 527
Steve Winnewisser C150 EAAChapter 527
Howard Wallace Cessna 172 EAA Chapter 491
Bill Peterson Cessna Skyhawk Above All Aviation
Andrew Pado Cessna Skyhawk Above All Aviation
Joel Sullivan Gruman Tiger Santa Barbara Flying Club
Paul Phillips Cessna 172 A Different Point of View
Sporty’s Pilot Shop donated a logbook, an online ground school, and $125 towards the Young Eagles next flying lesson when the ground school is completed.
A Different Point of View (ADPOV) brought 35 teenagers to the event (with the help of Easy Lift Transportation) and hosted the lunchtime barbeque. Other participants came from the Santa Barbara Airport’s Future Flyers Program.
Santa Cruz Market Goleta, Whole Foods Santa Barbara, Smart and Final Santa Barbara, Von’s Goleta and Lloyd Sorensen generously donated food to help offset costs of the lunch. Stan Macias was the master barbeque chef.
The EAA Young Eagles (YoungEagles.org) program was launched in 1992 to give youth, ages 8-17, an opportunity to go flying in a general aviation airplane. These flights are offered free of charge and are made possible through the generosity of EAA member volunteers.
To date over 1.7 million Young Eagles have been flown nationwide.
To learn more about the EAA and the Young Eagles Program, contact: Carl Hopkins, President, Santa Barbara Chapter – EAA527@cox.net or Lloyd Sorensen, President/Young Eagles Coordinator, Santa Ynez Chapter – Lloyds48s@hotmail.com
To learn more about A Different Point of View, contact: Lynn Houston, Founder/President,
Lynn@ADifferentPointofView.org. To learn more about Santa Barbara Airport’s Future Flyers program contact: Tim Lawton, Santa Barbara Airport’s Education Liaison.