EAA Chapter 1685 hosts Young Eagles workshops

Published 7:15 am Saturday, August 31, 2024

Students interested in learning more about the exciting aviation fields recently got firsthand experience at Baldwin County Regional Airport.

Nearly two dozen students from Baldwin High School and Georgia Military College Prep School spent several hours studying the experts — those who have been pilots for many years with both small aircraft, commercial aircraft and military aircraft.

The workshops were held on three consecutive Saturdays earlier this month. 

The educational workshops were sponsored by officers and members of the relatively new Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) 1685 Chapter.

Jim Wolfgang, longtime chairman of the Baldwin County Airport Advisory Committee, said the educational opportunities the workshops presented to students were something he and other airport committee members had envisioned for many years.

“One of our visions has always and continues to be education,” Wolfgang told The Union-Recorder in a recent interview. “As you know, we’ve done a lot when it comes to education as a committee. But our committee is designed to provide operational guidance to the Baldwin County Board of Commissioners.”

When David English lived here, Wolfgang said the airport advisory committee attempted to get a local EAA chapter started but he later moved.

The dream became a reality with the help of several new members of the airport committee.

“I couldn’t be more pleased and happy to see that we now have a new EAA chapter that’s thriving and taking the bull by the horns to attract local students to become more interested in the many fields of aviation,” Wolfgang said. “This is a great step forward for our airport and for this community.”

Roberto Hornung, who teaches drone classes at Baldwin High School, served as coordinator of the EAA Chapter 1685 Young Eagles.

“Our last day of the workshop on Aug. 24 was the cherry on the pie,” Hornung said.

He said it was a day where participating students were able to understand better what they had learned the previous two Saturdays and then take in what they were learning on the third and final day of instructional classroom time.

“They all got to enjoy three amazing aviation subjects and participated in hands-on activities, too,” Hornung said.

Some of their studies included what it is like to fly in various types of weather and just how it affects the flying of an aircraft.

“They also learned and practiced how to orderly fly an airplane around the airport in a real flight simulator,” Hornung said.

Students also got a chance to learn about some of the skills required for building airplanes.

The students received certificates during a special awards presentation on the last day of the workshop.

Kalina Milani, president of the EAA Chapter 1685, said she thought the workshops were a starting point for other opportunities for the Young Eagles program.

“We are so very happy with the turnout of students for this first workshop and cannot wait to see what the future holds for them,” said Milani.

During the workshops, Milani served as an instructor, as did her husband, Andy, a retired Army colonel with vast knowledge about flying helicopters.

Speaking of helicopters, students got a chance to see one up close. 

One of the crews with AirEvac, an emergency helicopter company that responds to medical emergencies in central and other parts of Georgia, was on hand.

Students heard from the helicopter pilot and two flight nurses. They also posed for photographs with the crew. 

For more information about the EAA Chapter 1685 Young Eagles Program, send an email to Hornung atinfo@eaa1685.org.