There are opportunities on little Orcas Island that are unlike anything we’ve experienced in other places. One of our family’s favorites is Young Eagles Day. Once a year in June, a bunch of island pilots with small planes volunteer their time to take kids 8-17 years old up in the sky for about 20 minutes at a time. They’ve been doing it for many years and we’ve participated about 4 or 5 years now. After flying, each child gets a certificate and a log book signed by their pilot.
Today was the day. In fact, there are planes still taking off and flying over our house that are part of it. Dr. Shinstrom and his dog Paco just zoomed over, headed south. Some years the hangar is full of kids and parents but today it was scanty. Pilots were shooting the breeze together, waiting to see if anyone would show up. Most of us regulars were there, though. We wouldn’t miss it and I can’t believe any kid who knew about it would pass it up.
Our pilot today, Beverly Franklet, is a wonderful lady. She took our son up a few years ago and both times she let him fly the plane for most of it. A few years ago, though, he couldn’t see over the dash so she taught him how to fly based on all of the cockpit controls – an awesome experience for a mechanically-minded mini-engineer of a boy. Today they flew over the west side of the island with my husband and other son in the back, all of them geared up with earphones and microphones to communicate with each other.
In the past, Dr. Shinstrom, below, who happened to sew 22 stitches in our older son’s leg after a bike crash a few years back, took my son and husband to another end of the island where they glided down to the ocean’s surface, skimmed it for a few seconds, then took off again.
These pilots are fantastic. They love inspiring kids to want to fly and they’re so kind in the process. They have decades and decades of experience. Beverly remarked that one of the pilots there (pictured below) was so modest; he has been flying for 70 years now without an accident and qualifies for a Wright Brothers designation of some sort. (He’s flown since 14 and was licensed at 17.) That was after he remarked that she was just as much of an airplane fanatic as any pilot he’s ever met. She told us her story a few years ago and she sounds like quite the pioneer at a time when most women weren’t striving to be pilots.
I’m so thankful to all of these folks who share their love of flying with our community each year. It is so unique and wonderful.
Young Eagles also gives kids access to some interesting flying materials once they’ve had a documented flight.
This is terrific Edee, you know I took Julie flying on our first date from Orlando to New Smyrna for lunch. I had just gotten my Private Pilot license 2 months earlier after turning 17. Hope your boys can persue flying if they have the desire. We got married 4 yrs later and a couple years after we were married I looked in my log book and realised our first date was on the same day we wed, September 18th. Give our love to your Mom and family.
Oh, that’s so neat, Bruce! What a first date! I’d be impressed too! Thank you so much for your message and I will tell my mom hello from y’all!