Discovery flight

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KFlores

Filing Flight Plan
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Dec 23, 2025
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KFlores
Hi — I’m interested in flying with my son for a discovery flight. Any instructors or pilots near Orlando who’d be willing to help?
 
Below is a list of EAA Chapters located within a 50-mile radius of Orlando airport.
Most of them offer a program called Young Eagles, where they organize events offering free flights for kids aged 8-17 a few times a year. Some of them also offer another program called Eagle Flights for older kids or adults.
See which one is closest to you, check out their website or contact them and see what their schedule looks like.

EAA 74
Orlando, FL
President: Barbara Walters-Phillips
Contact: 407-497-1236 | [email protected]
Meetings: Every 3rd Tuesday 7:30 PM
Meeting Location: 3614 E. Amelia St (Club House)
400 Herndon Ave (Atlantic Aviation)
Orlando FL 32803
Website: www.eaa74.org

EAA 1551
Apopka, FL
President: Chad Haas
Contact: 407-777-4512 | [email protected]
Meetings: Every 4th Tuesday 7:00 PM
Meeting Location: Orlando-Apopka Airport
1321 Apopka Airport Road - Hanger 9
Apopka FL 32712
Website: chapters.eaa.org/eaa1551

EAA 866
Titusville, FL
President: Chris Fauver
Contact: 540-222-4047 | [email protected]
Meetings: Every 1st Wednesday 7:00 PM
Meeting Location: Bldg 10 Arthur Dunn Airpark
480 N. Williams Ave.
Titusville FL 32796
Website: chapters.eaa.org/eaa866

EAA 229
Winter Haven, FL
President: Mike Bauer
Contact: 863-206-2842 | [email protected]
Meetings: Every 1st Saturday 9:00 AM
Meeting Location: KGIF
3000 21st St NW
Winter Haven FL 33881
Website: chapters.eaa.org/eaa229

EAA 724
Merritt Island, FL
President: Dwayne Waters
Contact: 513-334-9340 | [email protected]
Meetings: Every 2nd Wednesday 7:00 PM
Meeting Location: 900 Airport Road Merritt Island Florida
900 Airport Road
Merritt Island FL 32952
Website: chapters.eaa.org/eaa724

EAA 1632
Umatilla, FL
President: Ken Jordan
Contact: 248-703-6813 | [email protected]
Meetings: Every 1st Sunday 9:00 AM
Meeting Location: Umatilla Airport
1 Umatilla Airport Way
Umatilla FL 32784
Website: chapters.eaa.org/eaa1632

EAA 534
Leesburg, FL
President: Mike Hage
Contact: 651-983-5158 | [email protected]
Meetings: Every Last Saturday 9:00 AM
Meeting Location: Airport Administration Bldg, EAA Hgr or Via Zoom as needed
8807 Airport Blvd, Leesburg International airport
Leesburg FL 34788
Website: chapters.eaa.org/eaa534

EAA 635
DeLand, FL
President: Greg Dawson
Contact: 954-339-3705 | [email protected]
Meetings: Every 2nd Thursday 6:30 PM
Meeting Location: Chapter Hangar Deland Airport
1579 Old NDB Road
Deland FL 32724
Website: chapters.eaa.org/eaa635

EAA 288
Daytona Beach, FL
President: Jay Jabour
Contact: 937-479-0548 | [email protected]
Meetings: Every 3rd Thursday 7:00 PM
Meeting Location: Spruce Creek Airport
215 CESSNA BLVD
Port Orange FL 32128
Website: eaa288.org/
 
You can find Young Eagles events at the EAA website. Just put in your zip code. I found several in the 32801 area. Parents don’t normally fly with the kids unless the kids are nervous about flying ( and we usually don’t have room for them). Flight schools will let parents sit in the back seat but they charge for discovery flights.

EAA Chapters

eaachapters.org eaachapters.org
 
As a member of EEA ,I have done some young eagle flights,having the parents on the flight are not encouraged. It would be better to go to a flight school who do it all the time. Or find a friend with an airplane .
 
frfly172 said:
As a member of EEA ,I have done some young eagle flights,having the parents on the flight are not encouraged. It would be better to go to a flight school who do it all the time. Or find a friend with an airplane .
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That's exactly what I was thinking when I saw the recommendation to use Young Eagles.
 
Call any of these outfits at Orlando Executive and ask about Discovery Flights:
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frfly172 said:
As a member of EAA ,I have done some young eagle flights, having the parents on the flight are not encouraged.
Click to expand...

What you say is true but we do make exceptions. Recently a parent with an autistic child asked to be a passenger on the child's YE flight ...
 
frfly172 said:
As a member of EEA ,I have done some young eagle flights,having the parents on the flight are not encouraged. It would be better to go to a flight school who do it all the time. Or find a friend with an airplane .
Click to expand...
He’s 18. We have no problem doing it separate . We are both considering going to flight school.
 
Consider the/a club. It’s a possible way to lessen the cost, have planes available to rent after certification, and get an experienced CFI.
 
First flights - whether discovery flights or otherwise - are incredibly important. A single bad experience can sour the experience for good. The right instructor matters: someone patient, encouraging, and genuinely comfortable working with kids. That’s not always obvious upfront, so it’s worth asking around for recommendations for specific instructors, not just schools. In many cases, the soft-spoken old-timer flying a Super Cub off a grass strip may be a better fit than the epaulet-wearing type who acts like he just arrived from Top Gun.
 
The local flight school I went to called the one I took a "pioneer" flight.
My wife gave it to me as gift, I waited almost 2 years to take it right before it expired.
I was good with it until the instructor took control and started the decent to land. Then I started to feel air sick. Didn't get sick but that 5minutes of feeling sick really zapped me.
I went home and thought about it for a week and decided to take lessons.
I fought air sickness for weeks at first. Never did puke but my brain stopped learning as soon as I started to feel sick.

It eventually went away and a year and a half later I had my PPL. Defiantly worth it.
 
sarangan said:
In many cases, the soft-spoken old-timer flying a Super Cub off a grass strip may be a better fit than the epaulet-wearing type who acts like he just arrived from Top Gun.
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Bingo!
That's why I recommended an EAA program. Chapters doing Eagle Flights do it because they really enjoy flying and passing the bug to other people, so it's a lot more likely to be an amazing experience.
 
KFlores said:
He’s 18. We have no problem doing it separate . We are both considering going to flight school.
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Unfortunately, the Young Eagles program gives youth ages 8–17 their first free ride in an airplane.

However, if you attend an EAA meeting you might find someone willing to give you a flight.
 
KFlores said:
He’s 18. We have no problem doing it separate . We are both considering going to flight school.
Click to expand...
Don’t mean to be divisive but have a confidential discussion with a knowledgeable flight instructor on the process of obtaining a flight medical for both of you. This is very important so you may begin flight training.

Lots of information in the medical section down below. I can’t stress this enough.
 
Thank you. I’m in the information-gathering phase, and this is really appreciated.
 
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