Education Through Aviation
by Bill Pritchett, Education Director
“You’re never too old, too wacky, too wild, to pick up a book and read to a child.” —Dr. Seuss
Or, to take a child flying … But first, a travel report. I attend quite a few events during the course of a year, and the last two are worth a brief mention.
Education Assistant Jessy Symmes and I attended the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) Symposium in Lakeland, Florida. We quickly realized that there are a number of organizations and individuals who share our passion for “Education Through Aviation.” This trip turned out to be a home run because we’ve been formally asked to be a member of the AOPA High School Aviation Education Steering Committee.
Next, I found myself in Atlanta for the F3Expo (FPV, Flight, Festival, and Expo) with Archie Stafford, our sUAS specialist. Three-hundred registered pilots took advantage of the Georgia Dome and the Georgia Conference Center to race on two different tracks, demonstrating their amazing FPV skills. Arch and I enjoyed three days of great conversations with a crowd that was incredibly energized about RC and the fun they’re having.
FPV racing is a lot of fun, doesn’t cost much, and is catching on at an amazing rate. In fact, the AMA now has an FPV racing special interest group—MultiGP! Chris Thomas leads MultiGP and is not only a great person to welcome to our world of model aviation, he has a great setup for racing and promoting these events. I hear lots of stories about clubs having two or three races every week. What a great way to end a club meeting!
Now I want to switch gears and share with you the following story, which was passed along by District III Associate Vice President Jim Martin and written by Cindy Preston, the mother of Eli.
“I guess the first taste of flying model planes for Eli was on his 12th birthday. We had purchased for him a Stratos Firebird airplane. We went into a hobby shop with plans to buy an RC car and came out with an airplane.
“Eli was happy with the gift, but his first few attempts at flying ended up with a little flying, but more crashes. A lot of gluing and taping ensued. He was frustrated so his grandfather, who used to fly full-scale airplanes for a hobby, told him he knew someone we attended church with who belonged to the local flying club, the Ross Ohio Radio Kontrol Society. So Eli’s grandfather introduced him to Henry Barlow. Henry invited them to the flying field and told Eli to bring his airplane and that someone would look at it.
“One afternoon, Eli’s grandfather took him to the field. He met Henry and some of the club members. They looked at the airplane and attempted to fly it with no success either. Not sure what was wrong, but I think it made Eli feel a little more confident that maybe something was wrong with the model.
“From the time Henry and Eli met, a friendship was quickly formed. Eli would rush to church to see Henry, and Henry always had model airplane magazines for Eli to look at. Henry and Eli’s relationship is pretty special—Henry is 85 and Eli is 14. They call each other quite often. They encourage each other and enjoy spending time together. Henry has been a mentor to Eli on and off the flying field.
“Not much more than a month after meeting, Eli ended up in Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, battling for his life. A diagnosis of ulcerative colitis took a deadly turn. Emergency surgery and numerous complications landed Eli in the hospital most of the summer of 2013.
“School returned in full force and Eli was still recovering and building Legos. He continued to get magazines from Henry and enjoy them.
“Sometime in 2014, Henry surprised Eli with a small drone. Eli was hooked and his interest piqued again. Henry invited him to the field again in 2015 and Eli would carry Henry’s airplane for him to set it down on the grass strip and Henry would fly with Eli watching intently.
“Henry again surprised Eli with a Radian Glider. Eli took it up the first time and flew it with no problems. Now we had a problem—he had the fever for flying!
“From there, Eli has acquired a few more airplanes and even built his own wing from foam board. It flew the first time out! He has enjoyed the company of many of the guys in the club. They all have been great to take the time to work with him one on one—guys like Roger Barnes and Andy Hughes. He has learned a great deal from other members of the club.
“Henry has been very trusting of Eli and let him take off and land his Stick, which made his mother very nervous. Henry has had an interest in flying since he was very young and we are so glad he takes an interest in all the younger generation to share his passion.”
Thanks, Henry Barlow!
Fly and have fun!
