Due to the forecasted low cloud ceiling and visibility for Saturday we must cancel the May 18 Young Eagles Rally.  The next Young Eagles Rally at Manassas Airport is June 15 (Note that is the 3rd Saturday of the month).

Young Eagles and Parent: Registration for June’s Young Eagles Rally will be available at the beginning for June.

Volunteers: We will build the June rally in the yeday.org system next week and send out the requests for volunteers.

Thank you for your patience as we deal with Spring weather.

Thanks,

Bob Prange

The Chapter 186 selection as our 2024 Scholar for the Ray Aviation Foundation Scholarship is Kobe Kerns. Kobe has been on numerous Young Eagles flights and soloed on his 16th birthday in January. By coincidence, Kobe wrote an article which is featured in the recent May issue of EAA Sport Aviation and is also available here. Last month in this column I highlighted our current 2023 Ray Scholar, Grant Peterson, with his story about his first solo and his passion for flying. This month we have below a letter from our 2021 Ray Scholar, Tony Crupi, to Chapter 186 updating us on his whirlwind journey through his pilot ratings and experiences of the last couple years. Many entire flying careers do not include some of the things he has done before age 21. The passion these young adults and all our Young Eagles have is inspiring. It is great to see younger members helping at chapter events. We are supposed to inspire our youth but it seems to work the other way too. Here’s Tony…

Hello again Chapter 186! I’m Tony Crupi, your 2021 Ray Scholar. It’s been a while since I have been able to attend a meeting in person, but you’ll be happy to know that I have not wasted any time since being awarded the Ray Scholarship. In 2021, I was able to secure my Private Pilot certificate in roughly five months while working full time as a refueler at Manassas Regional. During that time I refueled many of your planes, kept a tab on every pilot on the field, and sat in every right seat I possibly could. On my weekends I would go to the Flying Circus and work with the ground crew, keeping Stearmans, Wacos, and Cubs running, and then do it all over again the next week. I was even blessed with kind mentors throughout these groups that hammered tailwheel flying into my hard head on those grass fields. I often reminisce about the fog burning away in the sunrise over that green strip while pulling out those biplanes. I think this was the absolute best way to be initially immersed in aviation.

In late 2021, I moved to Charlottesville, Virginia to pursue a Mechanical Engineering degree on a full tuition scholarship from the Air Force. I found immense honor in being able to serve and learn at the same time and envisioned going all the way through to a military flight deck. However, my path would shift once again, and had to take the out in the contract. Maintaining a job to feed myself and still doing all service-related activities was unsustainable. Fortunately, I would be once again given an immense aviation opportunity. 

The American Airlines Cadet Academy accepted an application I had filed during my separation from the Air Force detachment in early 2022. I would be flying with CAE-Oxford in the Phoenix region through my Instrument, Commercial, and Multi- Commercial certificates. Touring the partner school with one of my mentors was incredible. Everyone was wearing flight uniforms with their intended airlines displayed, dispatch ran 24/7, and the simulators were just one step under those at American headquarters.

I lost track of time, space and my own existence flying for the next year with the Cadet Academy. We were on reserve for over a year, sometimes flying over a week straight, and other times enduring sizeable scheduling delays. I began to practice for competition in the Primary IAC category with a Super Decathlon, got my high- performance endorsement from a DPE mentor in his North American T-6, and flew that same T-6 in formation all the way to Tucson and back for a missing man memorial.

I did not fail a single check ride in those CAE-Oxford planes, having been partnered with arguably some of the best flight instructors in the country. However, worsening delays saw me depart the standard track that most of my fellow cadets were following to instructor school. I picked up a job like many other cadets who had showed up living on savings to work with the reserve schedule. I worked at Chandler Airport as an apprentice A&P – and much to their middle management’s disappointment – learned, wrenched, and screwed up my way through hundreds of hours of signed-off aircraft labor. There’s a photo of me somewhere on here standing next to an engine I pulled off a 140 on my own during an annual. I can’t express how valuable and rewarding this work was – all while scampering around to comply with reserve- scheduled flights.

I started to get the idea that the Cadet Academy’s partner, CAE-Oxford, would be delayed well past initial estimates for instructor schooling and began to make other plans. A mentor of mine was a glider tow pilot at a sailport southwest of Phoenix – forty years and two owners later, the operation was still in business. A call to that airport netted a visit, which turned into an interview, which involved a loop in a Schleicher ASK-21 glider. To date, it is still the coolest interview I have ever attended.

I am now a full-time instructor and tailwheel tow pilot. I’ll fly Piper Pawnee cropdusters one day, and the next morning be backseating in a Schweizer 2-33A trainer glider with an overloaded student in the front. Around lunch I’ll probably be inverted in our waivered aerobatic box, on board a Grob G103A with a paying thrill seeker. I drive to work in disbelief regularly.

I do not know exactly where I will end up securing my Airline Transport Certificate, but I am certain that my involvement in aviation is due to Chapter 186 offering me a hand, literally from the clouds, and pulling me up. The rest of my success is from my tailwheel mentors making me into a capable pilot, my Cadet Academy instructors making me into a professional pilot, and the glider school making me into a trusted pilot. I am immeasurably excited to continue being shaped into a career aviator. For at least my story, the EAA’s mission can be considered a success. It will soon be up to me, and those like me, to carry on the mission for future young aviators. I cannot wait. Thank you for your trust, teaching, kindness, humor, friendliness, resilience, history, and patience. 

Feel free to email me at crupianthonyj@gmail.com if you, a family member, or a friend would like advice in starting out in avation. -Toni Crupi 

Blue Skies,

Bob Prange

We have a need to cancel our May 11 Young Eagles Rally and operate instead on May 18. On May 11 a mass flyover will fly over the DC Mall and proceed through the same airspace where we operate. Air Traffic Control can not handle both events.

You must register again to participate on May 18. On May 18 we will operate from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM with time slots at 9:00 AM and 11:00 AM. Registration for parents will be available on youngeaglesday.org at 8:00 AM on Tuesday May 7.

In lieu of a guest speaker this Saturday we are planning a pancake and sausage breakfast.  We’ll have breakfast ready for you at 10:00 and keep serving until all are satisfied.  So come by for viddles and to share your flying stories.  Young member John Storey has a quick presentation to show about his glider instruction he has been doing at Petersburg, WV.  We would like to stream a Powerpoint of pics and vids while we eat so if you have any pics or quick videos of your project, aircraft, flying antics, etc. please send them to rsp10000@aol.com for inclusion.  If you can help with mixing batter, cooking on the griddle, etc., please email rsp10000@aol.com to let us know.  We need volunteers to show at about 9:15 AM to get started with preparations.

Our March 9 Young Eagles Rally was cancelled for low visibility and ceilings. We had several aircraft and over 60 kids registered. Our next rallies are:

• April 20, 12:00 PM to 4:00 PM at Warrenton Airport*
• May 11, 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM at Manassas Airport
• June 15, 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM at Manassas Airport (Note: Third Saturday)

*We have been invited by the Warrenton/Fauquier Airport to conduct a Young Eagles Rally on April 20. This event will be open to kids from the Fauquier area local schools.

Young Eagles flights are available to kids between ages 8 and 17. We normally hold our rallies on the second Saturday each month. Registration for kids begins at 8:00 AM on the 1st day of the month for that month’s rally. We use two time slots, 12:00 Noon and 2:00 PM for the fall/winter months and 9:00 AM and 11:00 AM for the summer months.

Parents can register at yeday.org beginning at 8:00 AM on the 1st of each month.

Ground and Pilot Volunteers: About two/three weeks prior to a Young Eagles Rally, we prompt the yeday.org system to send an email to all in our Young Eagles volunteer database, inviting you to click on “confirm” or “will not attend.” This helps us determine the staffing level so we can set the number of kids that can register for a ride. Expect an automatic reminder email on Wednesday three days prior to the Young Eagles Rally asking you to confirm that you are still planning to volunteer. This gives us updated staffing level info. To become a Young Eagle Ground or Pilot Volunteer please go to yeday.org and use the Sign-up feature to provide your information.

To Young Eagles and Parents: -to-Fly course ($299 value) is available after just one flight. The access code is on the back of your logbook. This will prepare you for the FAA Private Pilot Knowledge Test, “the written.” Every FAA written exam (private, instrument, commercial, etc.) requires an endorsement from an instructor stating you are prepared to take the exam. Passing this course with at least an 80% grade lets you skip that step and gives you the required endorsement to take the Private Pilot written test. For more details about the Sporty’s Learn-to-Fly course, go to here.

Wednesday April 3

IMC Club Meeting at 7:00 PM

VMC Club Meeting at 8:00 PM

Join us Wednesday night for one or both of our monthly safety meetings.  Attendees receive one FAA WINGS credit for each session.

 IMC Club meeting topic:

You are flying an instrument approach to a runway where the crosswind component is stronger than the demonstrated crosswind capability of your aircraft. Is it legal to use this runway?  Are you operating outside the limitations for the aircraft?  We will discuss these questions and scenario to ensure your understanding.

VMC Club meeting topic:

EAA/VMC Club provides organized “hangar flying” focused on building flying knowledge and skills.  This meeting offers an opportunity to share in-flight experiences and valuable safety tips.

Warrenton-Fauquier Airport has invited us to conduct another Young Eagles Rally at their facility. Manager Dave Huss has graciously offered use of the terminal and ramp which are a natural fit for our operation. The terminal provides plenty of room for our registration area. The patio and gated fence make for a perfectly safe observation and staging area. We are planning to conduct our April Young Eagles rally on April 20 at HWY from 12:00 Noon to 4:00 PM. We are providing literature to the local schools explaining our Young Eagles program. Parents of Fauquier School kids aged 8 to 17 will access the usual yeday.org system for registration. This will allow us to introduce these kids to our slice of general aviation.

We had a very successful, safe and fun rally at Warrenton last September. Let’s do that again. Please consider helping out as a volunteer for the April 20 Young Eagles Rally at Warrenton airport. We would like to make this a big rally. Our cancelled event for March had over 60 kids registered. We would like to see a similar large number of registered kids at HWY. The more volunteers we have, the more kids we can allow to register. Pilots: no tower, no SFRA, no flight plan! We need a walker for each aircraft, a marshaller and the usual admin/ photographer positions. If you are already a regular Young Eagles ground or pilot volunteer, you will get the usual email from yeday.org asking you to volunteer. If you are not yet a Young Eagles ground or pilot volunteer, please go to yeday.org with your EAA number and click on “Sign-up” to set up your volunteer record.

Blue Skies,

Bob

Thank you to all the ground and pilot volunteers that made the Feb 10 Rally a big
success. We flew 57 kids! We figure that may be a record for us at Manassas. Thank
you to our latest additions to our pilot list, Tino de la Cruz and Peter Castine. Also we
were privileged to have Young Eagles Annika Kensrud , Jan Reymundi and Dag
Guessford help on ground crew. In fact, for his volunteerism Jan Reymundi was
presented Feb 10 with a plaque for being our 2023 Chapter 186 Junior Volunteer of the
Year.

Our next rallies are:
March 9 12:00 Noon to 3:00 PM (Manassas Airport)
April 20 12:00 Noon to 3:00 PM (Warrenton Airport)*
May 11 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM (Manassas Airport)

*We have been invited by the Warrenton/Fauquier Airport to conduct a Young Eagles
Rally on April 20. This event will be open to kids from the Fauquier area local schools.

Young Eagles flights are available to kids between ages 8 and 17. We normally hold
our rallies on the second Saturday each month. Registration for kids begins at 8:00 AM
on the 1 st day of the month for that month’s rally. Two time slots are available, 12:00
Noon and 1:30 PM for the fall/winter months. Register at YoungEaglesDay.org as soon
as possible beginning at 8:00 AM on the 1 st .

Ground and Pilot Volunteers: About two/three weeks prior to a Young Eagles Rally, we
prompt the YoungEaglesDay.org system to send an email to all in our Young Eagles
volunteer database, inviting you to click on “confirm” or “will not attend.” This helps us
determine the staffing level so we can set the number of kids that can register for a ride.
Expect an automatic reminder email on Wednesday three days prior to the Young
Eagles Rally asking you to confirm that you are still planning to volunteer. This gives us
updated staffing level info. To become a Young Eagle Ground or Pilot Volunteer please
go to youngeaglesday.org and use the Sign-up feature to provide your information.

To Young Eagles and Parents: The Sporty’s Learn-to-Fly course ($299 value) is
available after just one flight. The access code is on the back of your logbook. This will
prepare you for the FAA Private Pilot Knowledge Test, “the written.” Every FAA written
exam (private, instrument, commercial, etc.) requires an endorsement from an instructor
stating you are prepared to take the exam. Passing this course with at least an 80%
grade lets you skip that step and gives you the required endorsement to take the Private
Pilot written test. For more details about the Sporty’s Learn-to-Fly course, go to
https://www.eaa.org/eaa/youth/free-ye-flights/sportys-learn-to-fly-coursestep-4-of-eaa-
flight-plan.

Chapter 186 Young Eagles Coordinators,
David Richards
Bob Prange

Aviation Scholarships Available
The application process is now open for several various aviation scholarships for 2024. These
are not administered through Chapter 186 however we encourage you to look into these
opportunities.

EAA Aviation Scholarships
EAA Aviation Scholarships are administered directly through the EAA Aviation Foundation, not
Chapter 186. Flight training and post-secondary scholarships are available to everyone over the
age of 16. The window to apply will close on March 1, 2024. These scholarships are for at least
$5,000.

Flight training scholarships help cover the costs at any flight school in the United States or
Canada that is not a university program. Post-secondary scholarships help pay for collegiate level
programs in the United States including but not limited to: aerospace or aeronautical engineering,
aviation business administration, air traffic control, aviation maintenance, professional flight, or
any aviation-related STEM field.

More information about individual scholarships and online application procedures is available at
EAA’s scholarship website at EAA.org/Scholarships. These scholarships are administered
through the EAA Aviation Foundation.

Virginia Department of Aviation's Aviation Education Programs
Go to https://doav.virginia.gov/ to find information on several scholarships offered by the
Virginia Department of Aviation. These are for various amounts and have varying deadline
dates.

Ray Aviation Foundation Scholarship

Our 2023 Ray Scholar, Grant Peterson has soloed and continues to work toward his Private Pilot
Certificate. Chapter 186 is waiting to hear from EAA Headquarters this month whether we can
grant a Ray Aviation Scholarship in 2024. This scholarship pays $11,000 toward the flight
training costs of the Private Pilot Certificate for a highly motivated 16 1/2 to 19 year-old aviation
candidate. The rules include a one-year timeframe from start to end and require solo within the
first three months and the written exam completion by six months.

If approved, this will be the sixth consecutive year awarding a scholarship. We will
search for an aviation motivated 16½ to 19-year-old with an interest in learning to fly.
We look at a candidate’s participation level in Chapter activities, level of completion in
the Sporty’s Learn-to-Fly video series or other ground school, participation in Young
Eagles flights and Oshkosh Air Academy and any accomplishments toward flight
training preparation. Possession of an FAA medical certificate is required for scholarship
consideration. The Ray Scholarship pays $11,000 toward the flight training costs of
obtaining a Private Pilot Certificate in three installments: initial, after first solo, and after
written exam completion.

The required milestones are:
—First solo flight within three months,
—Pass the private pilot written exam within six months,
—Pass the Private Pilot check ride within one year of receiving the initial funds.
The EAA asks for two hours per month of volunteer time at the chapter during training.

Chapter 186 has applied to EAA to grant a 2024 Ray Aviation Foundation Flight Training Scholarship. Oshkosh will announce chapter selections in February. If approved we will ask 16 ½ to 19 year olds with an interest in learning to fly to respond to a questionnaire addressing their interest in aviation, chapter participation level, level of completion in the Sporty’s Learn-to-Fly video series, participation in Young Eagles flights, and Oshkosh Air Academy and accomplishments toward flight training preparation. Since the scholarship requires certain progress milestones, we look for a scholar candidate with a strong commitment to spend the summer accomplishing their first solo flight before school resumes in August and a strong commitment to continue an intense pace of flight training once the school year resumes. The EAA recommends 3 to 4 flight lessons per week. Only one flying lesson per week makes progressing through the lessons difficult. Look for more information soon once chapter selections are announced by EAA Headquarters.

The Ray Scholarship pays $11,000 toward the flight training costs of obtaining a Private Pilot Certificate. It is paid in three installments: initial, after first solo and after written exam completion. The required milestones are

—First solo flight within three months,

—Pass the private pilot written exam within six months,

—Pass the Private Pilot check ride within one year of receiving the initial funds.

An FAA medical certificate is required to be considered for the scholarship. The EAA asks for two hours per month of volunteer time at the chapter during training. Selection of a flight school is left to the parents and scholar.

The EAA selects a chapter to grant a Ray Scholarship based on the overall activity and accomplishments of that chapter. We have been selected annually since 2019 because our membership keeps Chapter 186 thriving through many various programs. Thank you to the chapter members for participating so that we may give out another $11,000 scholarship.

More information regarding the scholarship can be found here.