EAA Young Eagles Archives

By Jennifer Adams, Guest Writer

A love of aviation is often passed down through families from one generation to the next. Such was not the case for me. In fact, my passion for things with wings has usually been viewed by my family with an air of exasperated patience. “Don’t mind her – she likes airplanes.” This has not stopped me, however, from trying to encourage my kids to become interested in aviation, and a Young Eagles flight was a key.

If you read my previous story, then you know that after dragging my daughter, Cici, to numerous aviation events, it finally dawned on me to just ask if she’d like to go for a flight. To my delight her answer was a resounding yes. We had to wait until June when a local EAA chapter scheduled a Young Eagles flight near us. It was with a fair bit of excitement (OK, mostly on my part) that we headed to a nearby GA airport one sunny Saturday morning. Having never attended a Young Eagles event before, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I was quite surprised and pleased to see the large number of families already waiting when we arrived. [Read more…] about Young Eagles Flight: It Only Takes One Spark

A judge for “What’s Your Story,” the Wittman Regional Airport writing contest for those in grades 3-12 in Oshkosh-area schools, I feel compelled to share some observations gleaned from the entries I’ve just read. As our future, I found their participation in and perspective on aviation enlightening.

In two categories, grades 3-8 and 9-12, students attending any school in the Oshkosh area were eligible to, “in your own words,” write no more than 500 words of prose or poetry that describe “what makes flying special to you.” A rough sum of the area school districts tallies roughly 15,000 students, with two thirds enrolled in Oshkosh schools.

By the deadline the contest received 44 entries, all but two from Oshkosh schools. The majority, were from middle schoolers in grades 6-8. Only two high schoolers, one male and one female, took time to write. Girls dominated the grade school category 30 to 12. Regardless of grade, their perspective on flight and aviation shunned nostalgia and romance.

For roughly three-quarters of the students, what impressed them most was the pre- and post-flight airport experience. Terminal’s shopping and eating opportunities was a common theme, followed by the security gauntlet and inconveniences of a missed flight. The dearth of words dedicated to the flight itself suggests that to these students it was no more memorable than riding the school bus.