EAA Chapter 534 Assists In The Effort

Boy Scouts from all over Lake County, Florida earned their Aviation Merit Badge with the help of the EAA Chapter 534 of the Experimental Aircraft Association at a weekend camp out at the Leesburg International Airport in Leesburg, Florida.

The Scouts arrived at the airport on Friday night February 26, 2016 to set up their tents adjacent to the flight line and attended classes on Saturday February 27 and 28, breaking camp about mid-day on Sunday the 28th.

Seventy nine Scouts and 29 Scout leaders attended the aviation campout. Boy Scout troops from Leesburg, Mount Dora, Eustis, Tavares and Fruitland Park, all from Lake County pitched their multicolored tents on the grass near the EAA 534 hangar. Four Scouts were also on hand all the way from Tampa, Florida.

Saturday started out with a ground school course geared to the requirements for the Aviation Merit Badge taught by Steven Barber of EAA Chapter 534. Steve is a graduate of the United States Air Force Academy and a career pilot with the U.S. Air Force and American Airlines. He prepared a syllabus for the scouts with the merit badge requirements, a work book to use during the course and basic ground school information they could use as a reference.

EAA Chapter 534 pilot volunteers turned out with fixed wing aircraft and a five passenger helicopter to fly Young Eagles in order to give many of these Scouts their first flight in a general aviation airplane. Afterwards they were given an EAA Young Eagle Certificate acknowledging their completion and a log book with their flight recorded by their EAA pilot. Some of the scouts actually had the opportunity to take the controls of the planes under the watchful eye of their EAA pilot.

During the day Scouts were given the opportunity to practice some of the flying skills learned on a flight simulator set up in the hangar. They also had two special tents set up to work on the Boy Scout Weather and Astronomy merit badges.

EAA chapter 534 has partnered with the Boy Scouts of America for several years to help them with the Aviation Merit Badge by providing instructors, an airport venue and volunteer pilots to give them a flying experience.

(Source: Ted Luebbers, EAA Chapter 534 P.I.O. Images: Top (L-R) Parker Allen of Troop 143 from Fruitland Park, Joel Hargis, EAA Chapter 534 Pilot and Wyatt Gantz of Troop 250 from Eustis, FL. Joel shows the scouts how to check for contaminated fuel in the airplane. Middle: Career pilot and EAA Chapter 534 ground school instructor, Steve Barber, explains how a jet engine works to the Boy Scouts. Bottom: Scouts spent two nights camped out at the Leesburg International Airport in Leesburg ,FL)

FMI: www.534.eaachapter.org