Young Eagles thank-you notes

Diana

Diana

Final Approach
Joined
Feb 21, 2005
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6,163
Location
Southwest MO
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Diana
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08MO
Reading eighty thank-you notes has been quite a positive and motivating experience. We had a blast taking these kids flying. They were a GREAT bunch of kids, very enthusiastic and also quite appreciative. We take these sixth, seventh and eighth graders as a reward for completing the Mark Twain reading program (which includes reading twenty books) every year. I lost track of the number of kids who said they were going to read all the new books next year so they could go flying again.

Here are a few comments from their thank-you notes:

“I enjoyed the day very much. Since it was my first time to fly, I was amazed at the view! I loved it so much, I might want to spend my career as a pilot. It was one of the best days of my life!”

“Thank you guys so much us taking us flying. I had a lot of fun. When I got home, I couldn’t stop chattering about it and my family became really annoyed. My house looked so different, it looked like a tiny little square in a green field.”

“Flying will be some of my best memories of middle school. I wouldn’t have been so motivated to finish my Mark Twain books if I didn’t have the chance to fly. I enjoyed learning about the airplanes and how they work.”

“Dear Barb, I think that this was my best flying trip ever and I’ve gone three years in a row. I had so much fun flying with you and I liked that I got to go with you this year because my first year I went with Tom and I sat in the back and his door came open and I had fun and my second year I went with Diana and she let me fly the plane so I had a lot of fun then too.”

“Thank you for taking me flying. I had a very fun time. I also want to think you for the FLY FREE bracelets. I haven’t taken mine off yet.”

(EAA now provides blue wrist bands for Young Eagles that say “FLY FREE”. The kids loved them.)

“Thank you very much for taking me flying. It was the most fun I have ever had. I hope I get to go again.”

”Thank you for flying us. It was fun to see Lamar from up in the sky. The cars looked like someone built a town out of Legos. It was really cool!”

“I would like to thank you for your time and money for letting us have an awesome experience with you. I do hope you can do it next year because I am determined to finish all the Mark Twain books of 2007-2008. It was quite a fun experience with Diana. I love the whoopty doos.”

“Thank you for taking me flying. That was the best experience of my life. I really loved the whoopde doos. I can’t wait to come next year. Next time can you do a couple of flips?”

:)

Here are a few photos:
 

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That's great, Diana. That had to make your day as well as theirs.

What's a whoopt[e|y] doo?
 
Awesome Diana! Dad says it's always a hoot when he get to fly Y.E.'s in Muscatine. A new EAA chapter has started in Ames and we're planning a Y.E. event in August. Hopefully I'll be able to take a few first-timers up myself! Sounds like a blast!
 
Diana, any chance you can teach me how to do a whoopty doo ?
 
jesse said:
Diana, any chance you can teach me how to do a whoopty doo ?
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Sure! :) We can do them to get warmed up for the fancier stuff when we go flying together. Although, it's quite possible that you've already done them. :)
 
CJones said:
Awesome Diana! Dad says it's always a hoot when he get to fly Y.E.'s in Muscatine. Hopefully I'll be able to take a few first-timers up myself! Sounds like a blast!
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Chris, it really is a LOT of fun. I don't know who enjoys it more, the pilots or the kids. :)
 
It's awesome to see the smile of a kid being inspired. Their smile then becomes inspirational to the one providing the opportunity. That's a pretty cool circle!
 
Great photos Diana! The smiles on their faces had to have made it a worthwhile experience for you as well as for them! Good job! :):)
 
That's inspiring Diana!

I have to see if we can do a similar thing with the schools here. I had planned on trying to organize some Young Eagles rallies.
 
tonycondon said:
poor tom...
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Hehehehe. You can't name a pilot or instructor I have more respect for than Tom. The next time the door pops open on the Bonanza I'm not going to feel so bad.

[edit]Unless it happens when I'm taking off from a Class B airport in the rain and 400 overcast, and I have to fly the SID with the door open and rain coming in until I can break out and land at an airport VFR (no thanks, I don't need you to roll the equipment) and close it. If that ever happened then I'd feel bad.[/edit]
 
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KennyFlys said:
It's awesome to see the smile of a kid being inspired. Their smile then becomes inspirational to the one providing the opportunity. That's a pretty cool circle!
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I've always felt that the Young Eagles program does as much good for the pilots as it does for the kids.

That really is great Diana.
 
Well Diana, i love doing YE Flights , Thats why we have our "Special Need Fly-in " each year at KCXY. someone said something about who enjoys it more the Kids or The Pilots. I can't answer that one but you should see the faces on the Special Needs Kids.Here is this years poster.
Davg >:blueplane:
 
GRRRR the poster didnt come throw, here iy is again
Dave G:blueplane:

Heres also a Collage of last years Kids
Thank YOu for Supporting Young Eagles.
 

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Awesome, Diana! :yes::yes::yes:

What is a "whoopty doo" anyway? Sounds fun. :)

I've given some kids rides, but I haven't officially done the Young Eagles thing yet as when I do give rides it's usually a spur-of-the moment thing. So, I ordered a bunch of Young Eagles stuff so that next time it can be official. :)
 
flyingcheesehead said:
What is a "whoopty doo" anyway? Sounds fun. :)
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Well, it's a very mild version of a zero G parabola. Probably a 0.8 G maneuver. :D First, I ask them if they want to do it and describe it. Then I just nose-down a bit and then nose-up a bit and then push over at the top. Nothing floats around and we are always safe and legal. They start squealing by the time we get to nose-up and giggle and squeal more on the push over. Then they want another one. I don't do it with kids that are nervous or have motion sickness

flyingcheesehead said:
So, I ordered a bunch of Young Eagles stuff so that next time it can be official. :)
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Cool! Kent,I think you'll enjoy it! I was surprised at how much the kids liked the blue wrist bands. I wore mine the whole time I was flying with them. :yes: They also like the free posters and the free Gleim books. It's interesting how much most of them like their certificates and some even frame them. Also, a lot of the kids like to go on the internet and see their names in the giant logbook on the Young Eagles site. Sometimes you don't realize just how much their flight affected them until you read the thank-you notes or until you run into their parents later. It's great to get that positive feedback!
 
Diana said:
Well, it's a very mild version of a zero G parabola. Probably a 0.8 G maneuver. :D First, I ask them if they want to do it and describe it. Then I just nose-down a bit and then nose-up a bit and then push over at the top. Nothing floats around and we are always safe and legal. They start squealing by the time we get to nose-up and giggle and squeal more on the push over. Then they want another one. I don't do it with kids that are nervous or have motion sickness
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Very cool. :) Even true zero-G would be legal wouldn't it?

I remember one of my young passengers, an 8-year old girl, who giggled like crazy when we hit an air pocket and dropped a bit... So I induced some more turbulence for her. :)

I was surprised at how much the kids liked the blue wrist bands. I wore mine the whole time I was flying with them. :yes: They also like the free posters and the free Gleim books.
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Blue wrist bands? Gleim books? I musta missed something. I got posters anyway.
 
Diana -
Just wondering... are the Young Eagles in the same 19:1 male:female ratio as pilots?
 
flyingcheesehead said:
Blue wrist bands? Gleim books? I musta missed something. I got posters anyway.
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Kent, here's a comment about the wrist bands from the Fall 2006 newsletter:

We now have available free of charge silicon wrist bands to give to
your new Young Eagles after their flight along with their Certificate.
We tried them out at Air Venture and at a recent rally and they are
very popular with young people. They are light blue with “Fly Free”
printed on the outside and the Young Eagle website address on the
inside. “Fly Free” has a dual meaning. First, of course, is a free
flight, but also the message that we have freedom to fly and that
Young Eagles can aspire to reach that goal. How can you get some
of these wristbands? Just call or order them via e-mail.

You can also order them on the page where you order the other supplies. The kids REALLY liked them. :yes:

Here's a link to the info about the free Gleim's books:

Gleim

There is a printing program for the certificate that the Young Eagles get after their flight. It sure makes it easier when you have 80 to fill out. :yes:
 
AuntPeggy said:
Diana -
Just wondering... are the Young Eagles in the same 19:1 male:female ratio as pilots?
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Peggy, I don't see that ratio in the numbers of kids that I take flying. Actually, there are more girls than boys that participate in our local Mark Twain reading program. The last day that we took 40 of the kids, we had two female pilots and two male pilots.
 
AuntPeggy said:
Diana -
Just wondering... are the Young Eagles in the same 19:1 male:female ratio as pilots?
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Speaking of ratios, we have a higher than average ratio of female to male pilots of those pilots planning to come to Gaston's. Since Tom is arriving accompanied by three female pilots, I'd say that he is definitely outnumbered, (but he doesn't seem to mind). :)
 
Diana said:
Speaking of ratios, we have a higher than average ratio of female to male pilots of those pilots planning to come to Gaston's. Since Tom is arriving accompanied by three female pilots, I'd say that he is definitely outnumbered, (but he doesn't seem to mind). :)
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I'd guess Tom is the REASON for the high female attendance. Some guys just got it. :)
 
See... this is one of the reasons that I can't wait to get my PPL... to take other people (especially kids) flying. What are the hours/ratings requirements? Does it have to be in your own plane or can you do it in a rental? Does it require special insurance?
 
I'm just waiting for the time when I can do Angel Flight or Lifeline Pilots. I'm only about 13 hours shy of the 250 PIC mark.

Leslie and I were able to volunteer again at the recent Girls Scouts Aviation Badge Day at DuPage, IL (KDPA). I took a bunch of photos (Leslie's the keeper of them, so I'm not posting them), and some of those girls have great smiles on them!

I've only done one Young Eagles flight so far. I DEFINITELY want to do more!
 
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