Flying free as a bird: Young Eagles program introduces local youths to the joys of aviation

They say there's no free lunch. But there is a free flight — no strings attached — for anyone aged 8 to 17, through the Naples chapter of the Experimental Aircraft Association. Periodically, EAA volunteer pilots come to the airport to offer youngsters a free ride in an airplane, typically on Saturday mornings.

And the junior fliers don't just get to ride in the plane — they get to fly it.

'Kids love it,' said retired circuit court judge Ted Brousseau, who has flown Young Eagles flights for many years, and is past president of the local EAA chapter. 'We get big grins from them, especially when we let them take the controls,' which they only do when well up into the sky, he added. 'I've got about 550 flights with the kids over 12 years I've been doing this.'

On Saturday, June 11, Brousseau was one of four pilots giving young aviators their chance to see what flying in a light plane is all about. For most, it is the first time they have flown other than in a commercial airliner, and for many, their first flight period. During the school year, the Young Eagles attracts as many as 30 prospective flight cadets, and up to eight volunteer pilots taking them up for a ride.

Some of the youths who took their first flights through the Young Eagles program have gone on to make a life in aviation, said Brousseau. 'There's been a number of Young Eagles who have ended up flying F-16s and F-18s for the military, and also commercial airliners.'

Most of the aircraft taking the Young Eagles flights were standard private planes, Cessnas and Pipers, but Brousseau offers rides in his motorized glider, with an enclosed bubble canopy. 'We get up to 4,500 feet, turn the engine off and coast around,' he said. While the youths were happy to be flying in any of the airplanes, there was no doubt what was the coolest thing on the tarmac outside the general aviation pilots' lounge at the Naples Municipal Airport Saturday morning.

Jonathan Khammash, just 6, was excited when he returned from his flight, but a man of few words. Was it fun, he was asked?

'Yes,' he replied, before opening up a little more. 'He let me have the steering wheel. I went like this, and the side of the plane was wiggling.'

Dave MacGregor, president of the EAA Naples chapter, took up Ryder Mordue, 8, whose eyes were alight with anticipation even before getting off the ground. He gripped the control yoke with a big grin when invited to, even though he would not be touching the controls again until they were well up in the air.

'We take off east, head down the East Trail, go over Keywaydin and back along the beach. We tell them a little bit of stuff beforehand, but all they want to do is fly,' said Brian Beauvais, chapter vice president and charged with organizing the Young Eagles flights. 'The pilots give a brief explanation of the control surfaces, and what makes the airplane fly.' He added in an aside that 'really, it's money' that allows an airplane to fly.

Beauvais' son John Beauvais, 19, was one of the volunteer pilots taking youngsters aloft on Saturday, and his two younger sons were volunteering as ground crew.

The Young Eagles flights are free of charge, but the EAA did have a jar for contributions, with a scattering of $20 bills, on the table next to the waivers the parents had to sign before sending their children aloft. The waiver is standard, but protective parents shouldn't be put off by the 'Experimental Aircraft' part of the group's name that is holding the event. The planes the kids get their flights are some of the safest in the air.

The group's mission is to introduce young people to aviation and inspire them to turn their interest into a career. It's the kind of program that can turn around an industry hampered by a nationwide shortage of pilots, said Glenn Kowack, an EAA member.

'For a country that supposedly doesn't have any jobs, anybody with 1,500 hours in a commercial (aircraft) can write their own ticket,' Kowack said.

Worldwide, the Experimental Aircraft Association has 180,000 members in more than 100 countries. Roughly 40,000 pilots volunteer for the Young Eagles program.

The EAA also sponsors a pancake breakfast on the second Sunday of each month, providing pancakes, sausage, orange juice and coffee for just $5. The event, also at the pilots' lounge, is a fundraiser for the Young Eagles flights.

To schedule a flight for your child, send your request to YoungEagles1067@gmail.com with the name and age of the student. You will then be contacted to assign a time for a flight, which are offered monthly.