Young Eagles program aims to inspire youths toward flying
ANDERSON, Ind. (AP) - Long lines, no room and invasive security.
That's what most people think about when they think about flying, and with recent viral videos of passengers being violently removed from airplanes, sometimes those thoughts can be even worse.
That's what local pilot and trainer Bob Snider is working against when he tries to convince young people to consider a career in aviation; an industry that's expected to need more than 20,000 new pilots in the next six years, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
But Snider says he's got a secret weapon that can instantly change a young person's mind: the visceral thrill of sitting in the cockpit.
And he, along with 20 other local pilots, is hoping to share that with kids aged 8 through 17 through the Young Eagles program Saturday.
Young Eagles is a program sponsored by the Experimental Aircraft Association that introduces kids to airplanes in an effort to, as Snider puts it: "get to them before their parents frighten them of airplanes."
Even worse, he said, is when kids are so used to flying commercially that they see air flight as an elaborate bus.
The program began in 1992, when the aviation industry saw a growing dearth of trained pilots. Since then the program has grown to include thousands of young fliers. But just like the program, so too has grown the need for trained pilots.
In order to become a commercial pilot, a flier must have at least 1,500 flight time hours as well as years of training. Another obstacle for selling someone on a career in aviation is, though salaries can rise about six figures, starting salaries can be as low as $20,000, Snider said.
The Anderson Municipal Airport recently received an upgrade in time for the Young Eagles event. One-half of the runway was repaved this month.
Drawing a focus to aviation isn't just about careers, though, small municipal airports contribute $150 billion annually across the country each year, said Ed Bolen, president and CEO of the National Business Aviation Association.
"It's also worth noting that the vast majority of companies that rely on business aviation are small and medium-size companies, and equally important, enterprises using business aviation outperform those that do not," Bolen added. "Business aviation allows these companies to locate in small communities and rural areas, promoting job creation, and connectivity to the larger cities."
But for Snider, it's all about the look on kids' faces when they get their first taste of flight.
"Once you fly these kids and they come back with smiles on their faces and it's worth anything," he said.
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Source: The (Anderson) Herald Bulletin, http://bit.ly/2q07EgC
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Information from: The Herald Bulletin, http://www.theheraldbulletin.com