One trip into the sky can change everything: EAA's Young Eagles celebrate 30 years of taking kids on first flights
OSHKOSH – Things have come full circle for David Leiting.
During the 2002 Experimental Aircraft Association's AirVenture fly-in convention in Oshkosh, Leiting got to experience his first taste of the air in a Young Eagles flight when he was just eight years old.
Leiting, who is originally from Kenosha, said his interest in aviation sprang from attending AirVenture every year with his family as well as seeing the World War II-era planes that practiced in Kenosha the week before AirVenture. But, Leiting said, the flight over Lake Winnebago "confirmed" his interest and made it a life long passion.
His flight came about from EAA's Young Eagles program — a program he now manages. Founded in 1992, its goal is to introduce and inspire children between 8 and 17 to consider aviation by providing them with free flights for their first time. Since its inception, the program has flown over two million children, according to Leiting.
The program was celebrated Thursday at AirVenture with 30 new children taking off with trained pilots for their first flight, as well as a reunion for volunteers from across the country, celebrating the impact they can have on young pilots.
One of the children who got to fly for the first time today was 12-year-old Jack Magnin. His mother, Megan Magnin, works at EAA. Jack's interest in aviation soared after his mom started her new job.
He got to fly on a helicopter, and his favorite parts were seeing the vintage planes at AirVenture from way above and feeling what it was like to be in the air.
"It was really loud up there. We were very high up and we got to see everything," he said.
Although the flight was super early in the morning, Jack said it was worth getting up for, and he hopes to soon start trying to use flight simulators to get more practice.
Those types of experience are exactly why Leiting said he started his new role helping coordinate the Young Eagles flights in Oshkosh. Leiting volunteered with EAA for many years across different chapters before starting work at EAA full-time in 2015. When the role with Young Eagles came up, he knew he had to jump at the offer.
"This program means so much to me. I love flying Young Eagles and seeing the reaction they have," Leiting said.
Volunteers from across the country feel the same way about the importance of the program.
One pilot from Cleveland, Ohio, Tommy Hagan, had his first Young Eagles flight just over a year and a half ago. The 17-year-old said he was always into flying, but his flight sparked his interest further.
After getting his pilot's license on his 17th birthday — the earliest you can get it — Hagan immediately stepped up to be a volunteer pilot for the Young Eagles program.
Hagan has flown three Young Eagles flights so far, and hopes to continue in aviation as long as he can, with a goal to fly commercial one day. But for now, he is happy to give eager kids their first taste of the skies.
"It's a good feeling seeing young kings experience flight for the first time," Hagan said.
Deannie and Rebecca Southard are a mom and daughter duo who work as coordinators for Young Eagles for two different chapters.
Deannie Southard moved to Las Cruces, New Mexico, two years ago and wanted to help out in the EAA chapter in town. Soon, she was voted by her fellow volunteers into her coordinating role, doing "quite a bit" behind the scenes to help spread the word about the program.
Rebecca Southard volunteers with the San Antonio, Texas EAA chapter. It's been her first year serving as the coordinator, where she does everything from scheduling flights, reaching out to families and making fliers to helping educate others about everything EAA does.
She said it is easier to find volunteer pilots in San Antonio because it's a military town, but both the Southards are always trying to expand the reach of EAA.
"It's not just about experimental aviation. Anyone can be a pilot," Deannie Southard added.
Douglas Yu came up to Oshkosh from Daytona Beach, Florida, for AirVenture. Originally from China, Yu said he was told by friends to attend the AirVenture last year for the first time.
Yu started volunteering shortly there after. Although it can be hard, exhausting work in the Florida heat and humidity, Yu said seeing the kids in the Young Eagles smile after their flights makes him "not feel tired anymore" — at least, until he gets home.
As the EAA Young Eagles program manager, Leiting helps all 900 chapters nationwide with support for their programs to allow that work to fly — in a normal year — about 60,000 kids.
Leiting, meanwhile, has flown 55 kids, which he says "pales in comparison" to other pilots who have flown thousands. Still, each flight is a chance "reignite a spark" for the love of flying again. Leiting said after spending time in the nitty-gritty elements of aviation, like flight trainings and procedures, it is great to take himself back to the wide-eyed wonder of the first flight.
"When you're able to share the moment with the kid where they light up, smile, laugh, and say 'I want to be a pilot,' you can't really beat that feeling," Leiting said.
More: Team USA Delta Airbus pilot Sheila Baldwin, of small-town Wisconsin, flies at EAA AirVenture
Contact Bremen Keasey at 920-570-5614 or bkeasey@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @Keasinho.
This article originally appeared on Oshkosh Northwestern: EAA Young Eagles celebrate 30 years of taking kids on first flights
