Up, Up and Away; Cheektowaga pilot inspires future aviators

Sept. 17, 2012
The Cheektowaga resident has logged more than 100 rides for the EAA's Young Eagles.

Art Beyer has spent the last four years showing kids how far they can go in life — vertically.

The Cheektowaga resident has logged more than 100 rides for the Experimental Aircraft Association’s Young Eagles, a national program designed to help develop children’s interest in aviation. Since 1992, the flights have been offered free of charge and are possible because of volunteers such as Beyer.

“A lot of kids don’t know too much about flying and think that it is super difficult, but it’s really not,” Beyer said. “[The program] gives them an excellent opportunity, especially to experience the takeoff and the landing.”

Most flights originate from smaller airfields such as Buffalo Lancaster Regional Airport. They last around 20 minutes and typically head toward area landmarks, such as Darien Lake and Ralph Wilson Stadium.

Beyer operates a single-engine Piper Comanche and has more than 35 years of flight experience, which he shares with youths ages 8 to 17. At least seven other instructors in the program are based in the Buffalo area, known as EAA Chapter 46.

“There is another EAA group in Rochester, and occasionally I will go down and fly with them,” Beyer said. “Usually, we will have anywhere from five to eight or nine pilots on the same day and will work with around 100 kids.”

Flying the plane is not an advertised part of the program, but Beyer enjoys surprising his co-pilot once up in the air with an opportunity to be in control.

“At least I and most of the other instructors, they let the kids fly the plane — and they can,” Beyer said. “It’s really not that difficult, and there’s not a whole lot that they can do that you can’t fix if they really are aggressive.”

Beyer denies ever having to pull out of an unexpected barrel roll and gets a huge kick out of seeing young people gloat to their parents about the experience.

“The feedback is really good,” he said. “They’re really impressed with themselves and then say, ‘I got to fly the plane,’ which will usually lead to a stunned response such as ‘What?!’ by the parent.”

As a youth, Beyer became interested in aviation because he wanted to fly planes in the Air Force. Life had other plans for him, though.

“I originally would have gotten into the military if I could have,” he said. “But I didn’t have perfect vision, which you have to have.”

He lamented that today a simple laser surgery could alleviate his problem. But his experience in private aviation is something he is very proud of. Through Young Eagles, he has been able to mentor many young minds that will someday fly aircraft around the world.

“There are actually quite a few out there already,” he said. “Some even from our own group started flying and are now doing military careers. One of the guys is out of Akron. He took a Young Eagles ride a couple of years ago and just joined the military.”

Rides are offered at least once annually by local chapters, sometimes more often. An event is scheduled for 8 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 22, at Akron Airport. Information on signing up can be found at www.eaa46.org.

The day begins with an instructional seminar where youths learn the basics of flying. Then they are introduced to their pilot, who gives them a tutorial on the plane’s instruments before heading into the sky.

“Kids will sign up, and they actually get a logbook from the EAA,” Beyer said. “They can go online and take a class to learn more about it, and it gives them a little spark where they think ‘Hey, maybe I can make this a career.’”

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