April 14--DECATUR -- For a young student with an interest in aviation, actually getting into the cockpit for the first time can be the most difficult hurdle to becoming a pilot.
Obtaining that first private pilot's license is expensive and time consuming, and few can make it happen without assistance. Thankfully for those would-be pilots, though, Decatur's chapter of the Experimental Aircraft Association has their backs.
The organization hosted its first-ever Planes, Trains & Automobiles event Saturday afternoon in the Decatur Airport parking lot, raising funds for their "Train-a-Pilot" program.
"Our main concern is to raise money for the scholarship fund, which we've had since 2000," said organizer Mary Davey. "It used to cost from $4,000 to $5,000 to get a young pilot licensed, but now it's more like $6,000 to $7,000 per year to put one of these young people through our program with a flight instructor. But once they have a private pilot's license, it's good for life, and they can use it however they like, as long as they're not charging for their services."
Since 2000, the local EAA has helped 13 pre-college students achieve their private pilot licenses through the program, many of which have gone on to get commercial ratings and jobs as commercial pilots, mechanics, Navy fliers and even National Guard helicopter pilots.
Tuscola resident and 2002 student Blair Wilson is a model of the success the program can cultivate, having become the airport manager for the Greater Kankakee Airport, one of only a few female airport managers in the country, according to organizer John Durbin.
"It's best for these kids to start learning to fly early," said Durbin, a longtime pilot who maintains his own plane and airfield in Sullivan. "Too many people wait too long to begin learning to fly because of the prohibitive cost. If they desire to have a pilot's license, I would recommend they get it early. The program builds a lot of confidence and judgment skills that most of these kids used to begin pursuing careers in aviation."
The outdoor event Saturday afternoon featured games for young children and rides that included a miniature train in the airport parking lot. Adults strolled around in the brisk weather, visiting craft booths and the onsite classic car show. The first-time event is an addition to other fundraisers typically conducted by the organization such as pancake breakfasts, which feature the Young Eagles flight program for kids. The next pancake breakfast will be May 25 at the airport in the EAA's hangar.
"At the breakfasts, our pilots bring their planes and take up kids for free rides," said organizer Al Gearhold. "Sometimes, they'll take up as many as 70 kids in a day to get them interested in aviation. Those kids could very well be the ones applying for this scholarship some day."
He's never been in a plane yet, but 3-year-old Henry Reining could very well be one of those future pilots. The young boy happily played on a computer flight simulator set up at the event, ramming his Cessna into the ground at top speed.
"We saw this event was going on at the last minute, and of course, he loves airplanes and cars and trains, so we thought it would be exciting for him," said Henry's father, Don Reining of Decatur. "He loved getting up in the airport's fire truck and playing on the simulator. We got real close to landing it before that crash. It wasn't exactly a smooth landing."
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