At a gathering of general aviation enthusiasts at EGE Airport on the second Saturday of the month, the subject came up about the lack of pilots, mechanics and generally young people getting into the aviation fields. What was generally a simple get together to talk shop about flying airplanes spread wings and flew from there.
At the time, Hap Pool — now Vice President of Eagle Aviators — mentioned a program to involve young people in aviation that’s going on in Fruita, Colorado. Next thing this group of enthusiast knew, four of them were driving to Fruita to see what they are doing and how we can start our own program in the Vail Valley.
From there it was a few months while we discussed how to fashion a program at Eagle Airport (EGE). Having a plane to let kids work on to learn by doing, having space and the tools/materials to do the work were just some of the things discussed.
Then on a trip in Georgia, I happened to convey the story of what we were doing to a friend. That led to a friend of a friend who had a project airplane sitting since their dad passed away. After a few phone calls and pictures were exchanged — the Hatz biplane project was donated by Steve Barger of Savannah Georgia.
Gratefully, Hap Pool and George McNeil — now a Board Director too — went to Georgia on a commercial airline flight, rented a U-Haul box truck and met Steve Barger to receive the plane. It was a mostly built airframe and wings (4 on a biplane) with a bunch of parts.
Twenty-six hours of driving 1,775 miles from Georgia to home and we unloaded the project plane to an excited Second Saturday group. Quickly we received space in the Vail Valley Jet Center – Signature Flight Support maintenance hangar. Our program was off and running, rather flying!
The Hatz is a biplane, so four wings. Our fledging Eagle Aviators now had a historic classic open cockpit plane with a reputation of being gentle to take off, fly and land.
When we received the plane a lot of work had been done but there is plenty still to do. A group of professionals on our team led a strategy to tackle the project to address every phase as it comes. Essentially we have a big group who are hands on tackling a bunch of small individual projects.
Now every Saturday from 10:30 to 3:30 we have kids and mentors tackling whatever projects are ready for work. Right now, it is wood working, metal working, patching, sanding, or just lots of planning, everyone is having fun with every day. Soon we will be covering the wings and fuselage with the fabric covering. There will be the engine to install, run all the wires for the instruments, so there is plenty to look forward to. We even have some of the mentors who come in during the week, they just can’t constrain their excitement with this project, so the work is going much faster than when one owner buys a project and builds the plane alone.
The experience of every task involves science, technology, engineering and math so the kids are picking up an education along the way. Later this year (or next) we will have a cloth covered two seat tailwheel airplane flying the kids who have participated in the build project. The class of 2023 includes ten teenagers, with more on the wait list, together with mentors of airplane building experience and some of us learning from them just like the kids are. Come check us out! Soon we will have a biplane they can fly or learn to fly in. They may even go on to aviation-related fields for their path in life.