BHS AFJROTC Cadets Fly at Spinks Airport

From hundreds of feet in the air, cars are the size of ants and houses resemble Monopoly game pieces.

A few Burleson High School Air Force Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps cadets flew a four-seater plane on Friday at Spinks Airport.

They flew alongside pilot Earl Kirkpatrick, 85, a flight leader with Young Eagles, a program launched in 1992 to give young people ages 8 to 17 the opportunity to go flying in a general aviation plane.

Only two cadets were able to fly before radio problems occurred. The other cadets will be able to fly at a later date.

BHS retired Lt. Col. Walter Blankenship said this is the first year he gave his students the opportunity to fly with the Young Eagles. The school’s unit participated in the program about 12 to 13 years ago, he said, before he was in his position.

“We’re talking about the science of flight this year and learning what makes an airplane fly, how the tools in the airplane work,” Blankenship said. “This ties in directly with that. So they can see a small airplane, see all controls and actually generate interest in aviation.

“There’s a huge shortage of pilots in the military and in the commercial industry. This is something to generate interest in aviation to encourage people to fly for either the military or as a civilian.”

Kirkpatrick said he’s flown with young people for more than five decades. Safety is the No. 1 priority, he said to the cadets before takeoff.

He walked students through the pre-flight process by checking all along the outside of the plane to ensure everything was where it needed to be, checked the fuel and also checked that all the controls on the inside of the plane were functional.

Halfway through the flight, Kirkpatrick gave the controls over to BHS freshman Madison Landers, who was the first cadet to fly, for a few minutes.

She had the time of her life.

“It was a lot of fun,” Landers said. “I’ve always liked going fast and being up high and seeing the view. It’s always been my thing.”

She plans on becoming a pilot in the U.S. Air Force.

“I just knew this was one step closer,” she said. “It was really exciting.”

For information about the Young Eagles, visit eaa.org.

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