In October, local EAA Chapter #943 hosted its latest Young Eagles Day. Sixty-one budding aviators aged eight to 17 took, what for many was, their first flight, provided by local pilots in their personal aircraft. Since I flew 11 of these kids myself, I thought others might like to come along for the ride. This is your captain speaking…welcome aboard!
You’re strapped in now, seat belt snug, the engine fired up and a steady thrum fills the cabin. Your headset filters out most of the noise, and you listen as I pick up the current weather conditions on the radio. Light winds are directly out of the west, so we taxi east for takeoff on Runway 27.
Engine and control checks complete, we’re ready to fly. Rolling onto the runway, I gradually increase the throttle to maximum power, and the g-force of a 310 horse-power acceleration pushes you back into your seat. In less than 1,000 feet we’re at lift-off speed, the wheels leave the ground, and the nose points above the horizon. I raise the landing gear, pull up the flaps, and we climb into the air. You are now living in three dimensions.
It’s a beautiful mid-morning. The misty morning scud clouds have burned off, replaced with clear blue sky. CAVU, we call it: ceiling and visibility unlimited. The heat of the day will come later, and with it the air that boils up, creating winds and turbulence. But right now the ride is smooth, like a magic carpet floating you high above the glints of sunshine bouncing off the Amelia River.
Climbing over Crane Island, we turn right to follow the river, with Amelia Island down below. You are seated on the right side of the plane with the best view. Before we even cross the Shave bridge I’ve leveled off at 1,500 feet and pulled power to “sightseeing” mode. We’re still moving more than 2 miles per minute, but up here you can’t sense the speed. The Rayonier plant glides by your window, the steam from its smokestacks caught in the wind and stretching like veil toward the ocean. We are quickly over Centre Street and the harbor, and within seconds the ramparts of Fort Clinch come into view.
Looking north, the barrier islands of Georgia stretch out like a chain of emeralds, green jewels surrounded by the cobalt blue ocean. Cumberland, Jekyll, St. Simons, Wolf, Sapelo; today you can even make out St. Catherine’s. They beckon the aerial explorer, but this morning’s mission is different.
So we bank right over Fort Clinch, and since there are no other planes behind us, we’ll have a little fun. I continue to bank the airplane all the way to 45-degrees, and we’re now in a steep turn, circling tightly over the fort. It seems like you are staring straight down at the cannons, with just a thin pane of plexiglass between you and the brick walls below. As we pivot completely around the fort you snap a few pics with your phone, to show your friends later. It looks like something you could find on Google Maps, but you will brag and say “no, that was me, I was there!”
As we pull out of the steep turn and head south along the beach, I get a sense of your personality. You likely fall into one of three categories of young fliers. You may be an aviation buff, who can regale me with facts about every World War II warplane and has flown them all on your Microsoft Flight Sim. You know your attitude and airspeed indicators! If so, I’ll let you fly the plane for a while. Going left and right is not much different than driving a car, but remember, you’re in three dimensions now. Holding an airplane straight and level takes patience, and practice, but as we get to the south end of the island you’re getting the hang of it.
Or you might have a friend along, enjoying your first flight together, laughing and pointing out landmarks on the ground. “There’s Egan’s Creek! There’s my house! I can’t wait to get home and post these pics on Insta!” Here’s a little secret: at this altitude, cell coverage works fine…go ahead and post it live.
Finally, you might be an introvert like me, taking in the view with quiet contemplation. You prefer silence to help you gather your thoughts and make sense of it all. As we cruise down the beach, you remember that quarter-sized shark tooth you found at Peter’s Point, or boogie boarding the 2-foot shore break at Sadler Road. With a bird’s eye view you can see for miles, and yet your memories are down below. You marvel that being in flight allows you to live in many places at the same time.
Soon enough the growing sandbars between Amelia and Little Talbot Island appear, and we reach the southern apex of our journey. A final turn takes us back up the Nassau River, with the airport directly in view. I descend to 1000 feet to enter the landing pattern, flying east toward the water. This is the same ballet as takeoff, only in reverse. I reduce speed, lower the gear, drop flaps and begin a gentle turn to line up with the runway. We are on speed and on glide-path as we cross the runway threshold and flare for touchdown.
And after just a few seconds you feel the wheels gently gain purchase on earth, we slow and taxi to the parking area, and the door pops open. You have committed aviation for the very first time, but surely not the last.
Young Eagle Days happen once or twice per year depending on weather and other factors, so be on the lookout for the next event. In the meantime, photos from the recent flights are on the website here: https://eaa943.org/img/photo5/index.html. Look for us this Spring!
Jeff Schlueter is a member of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association and Airport Support Network and a volunteer representative of the Fernandina Beach Municipal Airport.