Chapter 65 Young Eagles Flights — Girls Soar!

October 10, 2018 — Bishop Tonnos Catholic Secondary School is the only area high school to offer aviation courses as part of the curriculum. So, when EAA Chapter 65 decided to offer the students Young Eagles flights, we focused on students in aviation or STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) courses who expressed an interest in aviation. Almost half of the Young Eagles were girls. The story has even been picked up in Los Angeles by an organisation called Dream Soar, which promotes aviation for girls.

The flights were conducted from the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum (CWHM) at Hamilton International Airport (CYHM). CWHM provided airside access and waived entry fees for the Young Eagles, while CYHM waived the landing fees.

CWHM could not have been more supportive of the Young Eagles flights. The museum was a terrific venue for the youths and their parents, as it gave them the chance to tour the museum and see an incredible warplane collection including 46 unique aircraft in pristine condition, many of them airworthy, as they waited for their turn to fly.

Thanks to a great group of students and CWHM, this was by far the most successful Young Eagles flight that I’ve ever been associated with.

Here’s a link to a newspaper article that appeared in the Hamilton News, and a local TV station provided some nice coverage as well. For more information about Chapter 65, see its Facebook page.