EAA Chapter 1077 will host pancake breakfast
The breakfast will offer pancakes, eggs, sausage, juice and coffee and is free to all veterans.
Experimental Aircraft Association Chapter 1077 of New Philadelphia wants to find young people who want to be pilots and is offering scholarship money to help defray the cost of obtaining a beginning license.
“There’s a major shortage of pilots right now,” Mark Mathias of the local EAA chapter said. “A lot of pilots learn to fly through the military, but if fewer are getting started that way, that leads to a shortage like we have now. We are trying to get kids interested in aviation and in getting their pilot’s license before moving on to working as a commercial pilot or something similar.”
EAA Chapter 1077 will host a pancake breakfast on Sunday, May 28 from 7:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Harry Clever Airport in New Philadelphia, which is expected to feature vintage WWII planes to view.
“We’re also always looking for sponsors in the community,” Mathias said.
The pancake breakfast is free for all veterans.
Mathias said it can be expensive to achieve that first license to fly a small aircraft. “Oh, it can cost about $13,000 by the time you’re all done,” he said.
To this end scholarships of up to $4,000 are being offered. “We reach out to area schools and try to find kids who want to learn to fly,” Mathias said.
Such hopefuls are then introduced to the EAA Wright Flight program, in which young students get a good look at aviation overall. Anyone can go on to achieve a license to fly at Harry Clever Airport.
Mathias said the program is working. “There are currently two young women who are in the program and learning. Another student just got licensed. There are two graduates who learned to fly at Harry Clever Airport who are now working as air traffic controllers in Cleveland and Columbus and a young man who is now a jet mechanic at Akron-Canton,” he said.
Mathias said all programs and classes are open to boys and girls. “We certainly get more girls who are interested than boys these days,” he said.
The pancake breakfast will be repeated for Labor Day in the fall. While many planes may be on view, Mathias said EAA Chapter 1077 is trying to bring the Beach City Baby to town for one or the other event.
The Douglas DC3 has been restored after a career as WWII aircraft and Ohio governor transport plane. After sitting for many years in a field in Beach City, the plane is once again in the air and serving as a flying museum.
The free veterans breakfast will offer pancakes, eggs, sausage, juice and coffee.
One aircraft that will not be seen in the air or at shows for a while is the WWII-era B17 bomber.
“All B17s have been grounded,” Mathias said. “There have been some accidents and crashes, and they’re all grounded until each can be inspected.”
In order to qualify for offered EAA scholarships, students must be at least six months past their 16th birthday. They must pass a physical examination, have average math/STEM skills, and have ample time and resources to complete training within 12 months. The scholarship funds are a partial reimbursement of the actual full cost of obtaining a license. To apply, email mcim@sbcglobal.net to obtain an application form.
Harry Clever Airport is at 1834 E. High Ave. in New Philadelphia.