EAA Young Eagles take flight at Squadron 508 Hangar

Yuma CAP Squadron 508 Hosts EAA Young Eagles Introductory Flight Event at MCAS Yuma

The Yuma Chapter 590 of the EAA hosted Young Eagles Introductory flights at the Yuma International Airport on Saturday, March 31, 2018. Yuma CAP Composite Squadron 508 provided the venue for the event at its hangar as a function of its community outreach initiative. CAP cadet and senior members arrived at the hangar before 0630 to begin setting up for the event. This included several pop-up sun shades in the parking lot and rows of folding chairs in the cleared hangar area.

Assembling the Pop Up Sun Shades

Cadet Franklin used a leaf blower to clear out all the accumulated sand that was threatening to resurface the hangar. EAA members lead by Young Eagle Coordinator Robert Helfrich handled logistics and paperwork for the day’s activity.

Bob Helfrich. It's a tough job but someone has to do it,

The line-up of attendees and their parents started before 0700 and grew unbelievably by 0800. 

Early line

Waiting to get up in the air

Blessing the Event

Parents registered their children and gave permission for the introductory flights. CAP cadet Obregon provided a preflight briefing concerning the major components of an aircraft using a briefing brochure and the Cherokee 180 in which he has part ownership as the Young Eagles waited to be marshalled to one of the six participating EAA airplanes.

Every Young Eagle gets a pre-flight briefing

Each participant was given a logbook to document the flight. Most of the pilots flew north of the airport for the approximately 20 minute flights. Air traffic control had a busy day with all of our flights as well as military training activity. Parents and grandparents recorded the events of the day with their ever-present cellular phone cameras.

Excitement for the whole family

A local TV station, Channel 11, arrived later in the day and hopefully will find time to air a segment about the EAA Young Eagles program in their evening broadcast.

Turn-out for the day was well ahead of that for last year’s event. Fifty-three Young Eagles took to the air in light general aviation aircraft.

Chuting up for the biplane

EAA flight line

Loading up, paperwork in order, brief good by

Aviation is exciting

Let's go flying

CAP pilots also flew six Squadron 508 cadets on orientation flights in the locally-based CAP Cessna Skylane. Hopefully the experience will lead these youths to explore aviation and STEM careers as they get older. In the meantime, CAP senior member leadership hope that some of the Young Eagles will take an interest in joining CAP as cadets once they reach 12 years of age.