Nov. 25, 2003
For more information contact:
Tim McClung
515-239-1689
tim.mcclung@dot.state.ia.us
Iowa
pilots do their part in flying one million youth
AMES, Iowa – In
1992 the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) launched the Young Eagles
program to involve more young people in aviation. The mission of the Young
Eagles program was to provide a meaningful flight experience free of charge for
young people between the ages of 8 and 17 by the 100th anniversary of the Wright
brothers’ first powered flight on Dec. 17, 2003.
As of Thursday,
Nov. 13, the Young Eagles program has registered more than one million Young
Eagles. More than 35,000 EAA member pilots have participated in the program.
Pilots volunteer their time and aircraft to make the flights possible.
Young
Eagle number one million, a 15-year-old boy from German Valley, Ill., has been
invited to Kitty Hawk, N.C., on Dec. 17 to participate in the EAA's Countdown to
Kitty Hawk celebration to commemorate 100 years of powered flight. During that
event, he will receive a Young Eagles flight by Gen. Chuck Yeager, Chairman of
the Young Eagles Program.
Executive
Director of the Young Eagles program, Steve Buss, commented that, “Iowa pilots
went home and embraced the Young Eagles program after its announcement at the
Oshkosh Fly-In Convention in August 1992. Some of the Iowa Chapters of the EAA
were the first to sign on for the Young Eagles program and have had a major
impact on its success. A total of 601 Iowa pilots have flown 19,314 youth in
Iowa, an average of 32 per pilot. This is above the national average of 29.”
According
to Michelle McEnany, Director of the Iowa Department of Transportation’s
Office of Aviation, “Congratulations are due to the Iowa chapters of the EAA
for helping achieve a milestone and promoting aviation in the state of Iowa.
These pilots have donated their time, money, and passion for aviation to touch
the lives of many children in our state.”
There
are 19 active chapters of the EAA in the State of Iowa. For further information
on the Young Eagles program or the EAA, visit the EAA’s Web site at eaa.org
#