Young Eagles Soar in Ramona

Carl Swepston and Brett Allerding. Photo Courtesy of Young Eagles

By Jim Evans

Most people, unless they are airplane aficionados, probably are not aware of the Experimental Aircraft Association, let alone the number of young fliers it inspires.

Founded in 1953, the international aviation association boasts more than 170,000 members, with chapters in all 50 states and several foreign countries.

Even fewer people probably are aware that the EAA Foundation, a charitable, nonprofit organization “dedicated to the discovery and fulfillment of individual fulfillment through personal flight,” sponsors a program called “Young Eagles” to welcome youngsters to flying.

Introduced in 1992, the EAA Young Eagles Program offers young people ages 8 to 17 the opportunity to experience flying in a general aviation airplane with an experienced volunteer pilot.

More than 1.1 million Young Eagles, flown by almost 40,000 volunteer pilots, have enjoyed free flights, and Young Eagles have been registered in more than 90 different countries.

Carl Swepston of Ramona is the Young Eagle coordinator for the Ramona Eagles, which provides free flights to local youths at the Ramona Airport.

“The Ramona Young Eagles Program has been operating for approximately one year,” Swepston said. “About 150 young people … have been flown out of the Ramona Airport.”

Swepston, a West Virginia native and retired officer with the U.S. Navy SEALs, lives in Julian, where he is a part-time instructor for Palomar College and teaches an evening class at Ramona High on college-success skills. He earned his pilot’s license in 1970.

“My wife Carol and I both fly our plane at least once a week,” he said.

“I have been involved with the Young Eagles program for about six years. We have just started working with the Ramona school district and have flown about 30 students so far. We are starting to work with the Boy Scouts and anticipate more flights this summer.”

Young Eagle flights generally are conducted the third Saturday of each month and typically last 15 to 20 minutes. The next scheduled flight day is May 21.

Each of the volunteer pilots — there are six pilots that fly the Young Eagles at Ramona Airport — provides a flight orientation, including a preflight inspection, review of aeronautical charts, instrumentation explanation and more.

“Mylan Dimmich, a local resident, provides hot dogs, potato chips and sodas for the Young Eagles each month during the event, and the CDF tanker facility and the Ramona Airport control tower provide tours of their facilities for the Young Eagles too,” Swepston said. “Each Young Eagle participant receives an official Young Eagle Certificate signed by his/her personal pilot and by EAA Chairman Harrison Ford.”

All Young Eagles must provide written permission from their parents to fly and must be accompanied by their parents or legal guardian at the time of their flight. Ramona Young Eagle flights originate at the Pacific Executive Aviation hangar No. 103; look for the “Young Eagles” banner in the open hangar.

School or youth organizations interested in having their students or members experience a free airplane ride should send an e-mail request to FlightLeader@flyyoungeagles.com or call Swepston at (760) 765-1160.

For more information, visit the Young Eagles Web sites at www.youngeagles.com or www.flyyoungeagles.com.

The Young Eagles program does not yet have the means of tracking what effect it has on students’ decision-making in later life, but Swepston recalled one youth it did influence.

“I do know of one young man who flew as a Young Eagle at Brown Field and came back to visit recently, flying his own jet,” he said.

Somehow that says it all.