CHAPTER 64 HAS FLOWN OVER 3,000 YOUNG EAGLES, SO FAR.
(Scroll to the bottom of this page to see who has flown them.)

POTENTIAL YOUNG EAGLES, PARENTS AND GROUP LEADERS: Our mission is to provide a meaningful flight experience - free of charge - in a general aviation aircraft for young people (primarily between the ages of 8 and 17; written parental permission is required). If you have someone in that age group who would benefit from a flight experience, visit http://www.youngeagles.org/parents/ for more information. Download the Young Eagles Registration Form (in .pdf format) here, print it as a double-sided single-shee document, fill it out, and contact Larry Frey via e-mail at lr.frey@yahoo.com or phone at 618-334-5340 for future flight opportunities.

Pilots: order registration forms, brochures and other YE supplies at the following link: https://secure.eaa.org/youngeagles/supplies.html

REGISTRATION IS SET UP AND READY TO GO

APRIL 6, 2013: We flew 85 Young Eagles on a very windy Saturday morning. With winds steadily increasing and 45 degrees off all runway headings, we decided to call it quits when the gusts passed 33! Although you can't buy a ride like that at Six Flags, all the Young Eagles had a great time and no one got airsick. There were plenty of things to keep the kids busy with all the Youth Gateway to Aviation activities--Boeing's F-18 simulator, a new F-4 simulator in the Greater St. Louis Air & Space Museum, and lots of sponsor displays inside the Parks College hangar.

Thanks to our many pilots and ground volunteers who helped make another safe and successful day and puts lots of smiles on kids faces. Our great volunteer pilots included Trent Duff, Kevin Hammon, Eve Cascella, and Bob McDaniel in their Cessna 172s, Corey Tomczak in his Mooney, Bob Speigel in his H35 Bonanza, Steve Bollinger in his Beech 36, Tom Stiles in his Cessna 182, and Nick Turk in his Piper PA28 who also headed up our registration desk and ground crew. Ground volunteers included Josh Faibisoff, Terry Erhst, Larry Loiseau, Ron Peek, Mike Hase, Ed Hase, Caleb Hammon, Paul Voorhees and his daughter "Sissy," and a few others who we didn't get signed in, but jumped right in and started working. Thanks to everyone!

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Photos courtesy of Mark Nankivil

MARCH 16, 2013: The St. Louis Lutheran Council of Boy Scouts came out in force on this chili March morning with 140 scouts ready to fly. Although the forecase was for lowering ceilings throughout the day, we had good VFR weather. Woody Gray was the first to launch with three Young Eagles on board. By the time he reached the Gateway Arch, visibility began to deteriorate. He cut the flight short and made a quick radio call back to those who were beginning to taxi out. Unfortunately, only two more scouts got to fly that day in Robinson R-22 helicopter. All our volunteers stayed around until after lunch, but by that time it had become obvious that we were done for the day. Thanks to the Park College simulators and the many activities organized at the Greater St. Louis Air & Space Museum, the scouts were still able to earn their aviation merit badge and make-up flights will be scheduled, a few at a time, over the next several months.

Over 300 Scouts became Young Eagles on Oct. 8, 2011.
Over 200 others flew simulators, built rockets, and talked with Gene Kranz and other aerospace legends.

(The following photos courtesy of Mark Nankivil)

Gene Kranz tells guests in the "Heroes Tent" Failure is not an option!

(The following photos courtesy of Todd Drenkhahn)

EAA President Rod Hightower checks on a lucky Young Eagle ready to fly in his T-6 Texan.

APRIL 9th, 2011: OVER 50 NEW BOY SCOUT YOUNG EAGLES

Thanks to our YE Coordinator, Larry Frey; pilots Bill Patterson, Ken Gottschal, and Bob McDaniel; and numerous ground support volunteers including Nick Turk, Rick Rehg, Mike Lotz, Mark Nankivil, and Bill Rohland.

The fleet prepares for the first flights of the day.

Pilot Bob McDaniel with Young Eagle Jack Nankivil. The smile at the end of the flight is the price of the ticket.

Jack with our Chapter President, Rick Rehg, who was providing ground escort and safety duties.

Feb. 20, 2010 -- St. Louis & Lewis & Clark Councils' Scout Aviation Day at the Greater St. Louis Air & Space Museum. Bill Patterson, Dirk Vander Zee, Nick Turk, Wayne Hunsdorfer, and Bob McDaniel provided first flight experiences for 77 new Young Eagles. Bob Fisch, Bill Florich, Wendi Sellers, Ed Shertz, Ken Gottschall, and Ed Hasse assisted with registration and ground crew duties. Other activities throughout the day included tours of the museum exhibits, static display aircraft, the air traffic control tower and the airports new fire truck; simulator flights with St. Louis University Parks College flight instructors; model building; and motivational presentations by airline and military pilots and other aviation professionals. Thanks to everyone who helped make this day a tremendous success. The scouts made memories they will never forget.

May 9, 2009:

26 Young Eagles Flown thanks to pilots Ken Gottschall, Nick Turk (Photo at right), Wendi Sellers, and Bob McDaniel and a terrific ground crew headed up by Larry Frey, Bob Frisch, Mike Brenner, and Mike Lotz.

May 24, 2008:

The Fly-In Sat May 24th was a big success even though the weather was not what we would have hoped for. The morning weather was good enough to fly Young Eagle's though and six of our pilots flew 64 kids plus a few Grey Eagles and a hand full of firemen. The turn out from chapter members to assist as ground crew and with registration, soda sales and general assistance was tremendous. Thank you all.

Larry Frey

October 30, 2004     St. Louis Downtown Airport    After two consecutive rain-outs, the Chapter's volunteer pilots turned out for one more try despite a forecast for increasingly strong winds and light to moderate turbulence.  The sky was brilliantly clear and the students from Riverview Gardens school were eager to fly, so four pilots took to the sky with 15 smiling kids.  Larry Frey coordinated and photographed the event and Kathy Frey, Gary Enochs, Terry Ernst, and Dick Kamm handled the registration and ground crew duties.