The COPA Young Eagles Program

Have You Flown a Young Eagle Lately?

COPA is a Canadian affiliate of the Young Eagle program.
Photo courtesy Garth Wallace

Skylar Moore has been an enthusiastic co-pilot since he was two and a half when he was excited beyond containment at the idea of his first flight. Since then a weekly request has been "we go flying". We’ll worry about sentence structure when he gets older; in the meantime negative Gs and bouncing from turbulence only add to his enjoyment of flight.
Skylar is the grandson of Dick Moore, a member of the Experimental Aircraft Association, Chapter 245, based at Carp, Ont., and the owner/pilot of a Cessna 150.
As breakfast serves as the impetus for a flight, Skylar and his grandpa set off for a local fly-in breakfast. Unable to reach the rudder pedals, Skylar is unaware his aileron inputs are being carefully coordinated to produce the precise taxi manoeuvres required. In the air he has grasped the rudiments of flight, holding course, altitude and is capable of completing plus rate one turns with only the occasional "pull up! pull up!" required.
Skylar is probably several years away from his first solo flight since on more than one occasion after a good breakfast fly-in in the warmth of the afternoon, his skills have been known to decline to the point where he’s been found fast asleep. Nearing home, a gentle nudge from grandpa has him wide awake. With his little hands on the yoke and sitting up tall as can be, he is convinced he has just completed another successful landing with maybe just a little help from grandpa. With a "way to go Skylar!" another fun flight has just ended but we know another request for "we go flying?" isn’t far away.