The St. Mary’s Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) Chapter 478 held their annual Young Eagle Rally at the St. Mary’s County airport Saturday morning despite the high temperature and humidity.
The premise of the national and international Young Eagle program is to get children between the ages of 8 and 17 interested in flying. The fifteen minute flight allows the children to experience flight for the first time and hopefully a few will be bitten by the flying bug.
Saturday’s rally involved twelve volunteer pilots and their aircraft. According to chapter President Jeffrey Test, the pilots “donate their time, aircraft and fuel” in support of the Young Eagles program. This year, three of the 12 pilots were not chapter members said Joe Spelz the chapter Young Eagles coordinator. Speltz also noted the chapter had 144 children register, “but time and weather forced us to close registration an hour early. Of the 144, the chapter flew 127 children. According the Spelz, that was the largest number “of Young Eagles in a single day” in his four years of participation. He’s hoping to host an unadvertised mini-rally in about a month to fly possibly up to 20 kids.
Chapter 478 will also host a special Young Eagle Rally at ChesapeakeRanchEstatesAirport for the CRE community in the early fall.
The chapter meets the 3rd Tuesday of the Month at 7pm at the PatuxentRiverNavalAviationMuseum outside gate one.
