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Experimental Aircraft Association Chapter 775 flew 15 local youth on their first airplane rides Saturday at Baxter County Airport. The flights came through the Young Eagles program, a national effort that gives young people free introductory flights. Clouds hung over the field, but volunteer pilots and ground crew kept the event on schedule.
Each young flier received a pre-flight briefing and a chance to look over the aircraft before takeoff. A certified pilot then took them up for a hands-on flight. For many, it was their first time off the ground in a small airplane.
“We’re proud to offer these flights and help inspire the next generation,” said Bill Holland, president of EAA Chapter 775. “Events like this are about more than aviation. They’re about opening doors and showing young people what’s possible.”
For the chapter, a single flight is a starting point rather than a one-day outing. Holland pointed to the network of programs that picks up where the rides leave off. He named the Leading Edge Aviation Foundation’s aviation science education and scholarships and a Civil Air Patrol youth squadron that meets weekly at the airport.
That network matters more here than in larger markets. The area has no commercial flight school, so much of the path into aviation runs through volunteers. The Leading Edge Aviation Foundation, known locally as LEAF, helps fill the gap with two training aircraft and an FAA-certified flight simulator at the terminal’s aviation learning center.
The foundation has also moved money toward students. LEAF has put about $30,000 toward aviation career scholarships over the past two years, advocate Gerald Gaige told the Baxter County Quorum Court in September. It stocks Aviation Corners in the Mountain Home High School and junior high libraries and hosts class field trips to the airport.
Holland and Gaige carried that message into the schools again last month. The two ran the Four Forces of Flight for about 650 students over two days during the district’s Arkansas Week, walking groups through lift, weight, thrust and drag.
Families were invited to Saturday’s event as well. They could learn about general aviation, aircraft maintenance, airport operations and the range of careers in the field.
The Young Eagles program began in 1992 and serves youth ages 8 to 17. Volunteer EAA pilots have flown more than 2.4 million young people since then, across 90 countries. The organization is now working to reach 2.5 million flights by its July convention in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.
Chapter 775 plans more Young Eagles rallies and outreach events. People interested in taking part as a young flier, volunteer or pilot can find contact information and a calendar at chapters.eaa.org/eaa775.
The chapter meets the fourth Monday of each month at the Baxter County Airport terminal building. Doors open at 5:30 p.m., and the program begins at 6 p.m. The public is welcome.
