Youth fly free with Young Eagles program

GRAYSLAKE - As Shelley Ventura's four-seater propeller plane took off at Campbell Airport in Grayslake on a perfectly clear Saturday morning, the two 8-year-old boys flying with her were thrilled. Logan Rude of Round Lake exclaimed "Wahoo!" into his headset and the other, Trenton Luoma of Gurnee, recorded the flight with his cell phone.

Young Eagles, a program by the Experimental Aircraft Association, gives kids the absolutely free opportunity to experience flying in small aircraft with local pilots. Sixty-seven kids from Gurnee, Waukegan, Round Lake and North Chicago families flew with local pilots in two- and four-seater planes on Sept. 21. Pilots donate their time and money to offer this opportunity to youngsters ages 8 to 17.

Laura Luoma, Gurnee resident, said her dad used to fly her family out to Michigan for dinner when she was a kid. "There's a big difference between flying in a large plane and a small plane," Luoma said. Louma's son, Trenton Louma, was attending the Young Eagles event along with six other cub scouts from Gurnee Pack 37.

Laura Luoma was excited that Ventura was there. "You don't see women pilots very often. I don't have girls, but it's important for kids to know there are women pilots out there. It's incredible that this is free. Fuel is very expensive."

Ventura, pilot since 1999, is the head of the local chapter of The Ninety-Nines, a women pilots organization named for 99 registered female pilots who decided to form a group in 1929. The Grayslake resident was flying the kids in her Piper Archer 2 four-seater propeller plane, which she stores at Campbell Airport.

Ventura and her husband have flown about 110 kids with Young Eagles in eight years, she said.
Before the flight, Ventura walked around the plane to check the fuel and inspect it, explaining each step of the process to Trenton Luoma and Logan.

"Air is a fluid, and like water there's little ripples, so don't be nervous if it's bumpy," she said as she helped the boys with their seatbelts just before take-off. She didn't need to warn them – the sky was so clear and smooth.

"I can see Chicago. It's gorgeous," said Logan, looking out the window over Lake County. Logan, wearing a bomber jacket he got at a Wings Over Waukegan event, said he wants to be a Flight For Life pilot someday.

As the plane flew over Volo, Wauconda and Bang's Lake for the 20-minute flight, Ventura said, "It amazes me how small the world seems to get but how big it gets at the same time because we can travel anywhere. It's brought the world closer to us."

Before the flight, the kids had ground school, learning all the parts of the plane, with Ed Simpson, EAA member. Simpson, 79-years old, started flying in 1956 and owns an airport in Camp Lake, Wis. Simpson, an Antioch resident, said he helps out with Young Eagles because he just loves flying.

"When I started [to love aircraft] I was a little older than these kids. I'd pedal my bike to the airport to watch the planes take off," he said. He worked for commercial airlines doing maintenance and repairs for 37 years.

"One of the lessons [from being a pilot] is you gotta be honest. This is a small industry and you gotta build a reputation by treating people like you want to be treated," Simpson said.

Simpson pointed to a Piper Cherokee four-seater propeller plane as he explained to Gurnee resident Trevor Roma, 11, Trenton Louma and Logan Rude that the technology of small aircraft goes back to the 1930s. He explained the purpose of different parts like the nose wheel and how they evolved.

Eight percent of all registered pilots under age 34 started in Young Eagles, said Daniel Feldman, who runs the Lake County Young Eagles of EAA Chapter 414.

"One little girl, about 13-years old, has been back a couple times and I think she'll go on to be a pilot.

She's already researching airplanes to build when she gets older," said Libertyville resident Feldman.
"We want kids to get a practical application of math and science when we explain how airplanes fly." Feldman said depending on the kid's confidence, he'll let them follow along on the controls when he takes them up.

He said it costs him about $30 for every kid he flies. "There's this illusion that airplane owners are rich, but most are working stiffs. It's costly for every trip but it's important enough for us to expose kids to airplanes that we donate time and money."
Some kids are freaked out about being separated from Mom, some are adventurous, and one or two will have their lives changed forever, Feldman said. "You see their faces light up and you just know, flying will be a part of their lives forever."
Ventura said she wanted to fly since she was a little girl. "Every time I take off I remember how much I love this," she said. "There's no feeling like it – the freedom it gives you."
The next Young Eagles event is from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Oct. 5 at Skill Aviation in Waukegan Airport. Participants can register for the free event in advance and learn more about Young Eagles at www.eaa414.org.