MEMBER CENTRAL
E-mail: Membership@eaa.org Phone: 800-564-6322 (800-JOIN EAA) Online: www.EAA.org
FROM THE DESK OF...
Name: Steve Schapiro, EAA 1018168
Position: Senior Editor, Publications
WHO’S WHO AT HQ
DID YOU SEE THE DATA on Young Eagles highlighted in Tom’s
Position Report (page 6) in the March issue of Sport Aviation?
It’s definitely positive. Young Eagles are 5. 4 times more likely
to become pilots than non-Young Eagles of the same age
group. Very cool data that I think confirms what we all have
felt. I know for a fact that the first flight experience in a small plane is the
foundation for growing the pilot population.
I often read about people who were “just plane crazy” from birth. The
first word out of their mouths was “airplane.” That was not me. I really
hadn’t given the idea of being a pilot any thought at all; it just wasn’t in my
world. Then, in my mid-20s, my dad, a relatively new pilot himself, took me
flying to see some flooding in the local area. That first flight got me thinking
about becoming a pilot. A few months later, I was taking flight training and
earned my pilot certificate. I know that if I never had the first flight, I never
would have become a pilot.
So, I look at my experience as no different than a Young Eagles flight.
With that first flight, the world of aviation opened up to me and, as a result,
my life became so much richer.
Describe what you do: I am a
member of the team that develops the
features and columns within Sport
Aviation. I also manage the production
of sections of the magazine.
Years at EAA: I started three days
before AirVenture 2010.
Before EAA? I’ve worked as a policy
advisor to a governor, a nonprofit
director, an online news editor, and a
freelance aviation writer.
Introduction to flying: My dad
wrote a weekly aviation column in
the Newark Star-Ledger for nearly 40
years. I would accompany him to the
airport every Saturday, and we would
fly somewhere to do the interviews
for his column.
What aircraft do you own? A
1968 Piper Cherokee Arrow that
my father picked up new at the
factory in Vero Beach before I was
born. Every year since, it’s been
part of our family holiday card. He
passed it on to me five years ago,
when he stopped flying.
YOU ALREADY KNOW WHY the Young Eagles program is so important to aviation.
What you may not know is how to get involved. More than 45,000 EAA member pilots
have volunteered their time and aircraft to fly more than 1. 6 million Young Eagles.
You’re well on your way to being a Young Eagles pilot if you are an EAA
member, hold a sport pilot certificate or greater, and are current (medical, passengers, flight review). EAA pilots participating in the Young Eagles program are
eligible for an additional $1 million of passenger liability insurance coverage, if you carry a minimum of $100,000
per seat liability insurance.
View all requirements and find more volunteer information at www.YoungEagles.org/volunteers.
Don’t Know Much About...
BECOMING A YOUNG EAGLES PILOT
Memorable experience: Flying in
the B- 17 Aluminum Overcast. The
man sitting next to me was a tail
gunner during the war. He shared
a story about one mission when the
entire crew was knocked unconscious
except him. He landed the bomber
and all crew members survived.
Fun aviation story: The first time
I went for a hot air balloon ride,
two sky divers from the Army
Golden Knights Parachute Team
jumped out. One got on the edge of
the basket and did a back flip as he
jumped out.
