EAA Chapters Partner to Fly 209 Young Eagles

November 2019 - Saturday, October 26, 2019, was an amazing day at the Spanish Fork Airport. The weather was clear with light winds throughout the morning — a perfect day for EAA Young Eagle flights — and 209 kids experienced flight in a small airplane. If you are an aviation enthusiast, it doesn't get much better than this. The excitement on the young faces when they returned from their flights was a wonderful sight, and the enthusiasm of the volunteer EAA pilots and ground personnel was itself a highlight.

The EAA Young Eagles flights at the Spanish Fork Airport were sponsored by EAA Chapter 23 from Salt Lake City and supported by the Utah County EAA Chapter 753. The 209 young people were flown in 12 two- and four-seat airplanes. Ron Weixler in his two-seat RV-9 made nine flights, and the other airplanes each made seven to eight flights.

A total of 90 flights were flown between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. on a predetermined and pilot-briefed flight course that lasted about 20 minutes. That is a lot of activity on the airport ramp, taxiway, and runway. The marshaling of the airplanes on the ramp was a demonstration of excellence. The continuous movement of 12 aircraft taking off and landing every 20 minutes was a sight that made one think of the Berlin Airlift of 1948. In addition, an administrative staff kept track of who was flying with whom, and who was escorting the kids to each airplane. The professional way this event was conducted was an amazing sight.