|
Submitted by Chuck Soumar, EAA Chapter 101 Young Eagles Coordinator.
Joliet, Illinois — June 6, 2008 — EAA Chapter 101 (Addison, IL) took advantage of a beautiful weekend of flying weather to host two Young Eagle events.
On Saturday, May 31, the Chapter hosted “Mike’s Rally”, named in the memory of Chapter member Mike Neunteufel, who was instrumental in getting the annual Young Eagle Rallies going at Joliet Park District Airport (JOT) located in Joliet, Illinois.
With clear skies and a bit of a breeze, 182 eager Young Eagles were given flights by fifteen volunteer EAA pilots. The often quiet airport turned into a bustling hub of airplanes of all types taking off and landing on runway 30. With the help of more than 20 ground volunteers, the day started at 10:00 AM and continued at a brisk pace for the next five hours. Area children anxiously waited for their turn in the sky. With safety always the key word, the members of EAA Chapter 101 kept the pace up signing in and escorting the eagles out to each waiting airplane with ease and efficiency. A special Young Eagle milestone occurred during the rally and went almost unnoticed. Our own Robert “Butch” Bejna recorded his 1400th Young Eagle flight. What makes that event so special is that he made all of those flights in his Cessna 150, one Young Eagle at a time. Congratulations Butch! After all the flights were given that day, the 101ers packed up all their forms and certificates and moved over to Schaumburg Airport for another rally held the next day at 06C.
Sunday, June 1, turned out to be another perfect day for flying and the Chapter’s ground volunteers and pilots waited for the next group of excited kids to show up and receive their flights. They weren’t disappointed, when another 58 flights were provided. This time the pilots were given a work out because all 58 Young Eagles were flown by only four planes. Patience and safety were now the key words for this rally date. Again, another four hours of flying and coordinating all the kids for their flights tested the skills of all the Chapter volunteers.
After two fun-filled days of buzzing airplanes and excited, smiling kids all around, everyone looked back and felt the joy of sharing their aviation lifestyle with these Young Eagles and their families
There’s nothing like a day at the airport and sharing that experience with others is a feeling you never forget. Thanks EAA Young Eagles program for giving us, the members of EAA, that opportunity!
(Editor’s note: And let us add a big THANK YOU to all who made the weekend’s events a huge success!)
|
|
Long-time Young Eagles pilot and Chapter 101 volunteer Butch Bejna celebrated his 1,400th Young Eagle. Butch is an active pilot and has flown all his Young Eagles in his Cessna 150.
 .
Visit EAA Chapter 101
|
Become a Volunteer | Volunteer Recognition | Program News | Resources | World's Largest Logbook
PRINTER
FRIENDLY
Privacy Policy 
