Young Eagles program offers kids a different view

Special to The Messenger
Published: August 13, 2008

The Young Eagles program was established in 1992 by the Experimental Aircraft Association, or EAA, with the goal of introducing young people to aviation and all its rewards. EAA Chapter 1058, based at the Hartsville airport, flies young people ages eight to 17 at a large rally every June.
Unfortunately, not everyone can make it in June. Jeanne Rudick, along with Alex and Linda Yarborough, recently teamed up with the Hartsville Police Depart-ment. They took the Police Youth Academy girls cadets on airplane rides as part of the department’s annual summer program.
The cadets were first introduced to flying through Alex Yarborough’s “ground school,” which is a short lecture on how planes fly and what the girls could expect. Following this was a pre-flight check of the airplanes they would be riding in. At first, some of the girls were apprehensive, but everyone eventually went flying.
With the safety checks complete, the girls were divided between two planes, one piloted by Linda Yarborough, and the other by Rudick.
Their flight included a circuit of the city, where everyone was treated to new views of familiar places. Some of the girls remarked that they could see their house, the middle school and, of course, Wal-Mart. Some of the girls enjoyed their flights more than others, and a few adventurous girls were even allowed to fly the plane during parts of the trip.
At the conclusion of the flight, the girls were fed hot dogs and were given posters of airplane cockpits.
This marked the third year the EAA chapter has teamed up with the police department to provide Young Eagles rides to the Police Youth Academy. These 60 boys and girls share something in common with the other 1.3 million Young Eagles that have flown before them.
The pilots donate their time, money and their airplanes to give the Young Eagles a unique view of the world. If anyone interested in bringing their child to a Young Eagles event, the next rally will be held at Butter’s Field in Bishopville in October.