EAGLE SCOUT
PROJECT FUNDED BY
MODEL AVIATION
By Joe Milanowski | jkmil@ sbcglobal.net
Photos by Joe Milanowski’s friends and family
JOE MILANOWSKI’S (Greendale, Wisconsin) grandson, Spencer, has been interested in airplanes since he was in the Boy Scouts. An older Scout already had his pilot’s license, so he invited Spencer and his dad for an airplane ride. Spencer was hooked. He flew various model airplanes in a vacant lot in downtown San Marcos, California, until the lot was developed into an apartment complex.
Spencer and his dad bought several park flyers and taught themselves how to fly electric RC airplanes in the hills east of San Marcos. He advanced in RC flight and taught himself to fly aerobatics. He also advanced in the Boy Scouts up to the Eagle Scout rank.
To earn his Eagle badge, Spencer was required to complete a community service project. Eagle Scouts must select a project, get financing, organize a team, lead the team, and write a report about the project when it’s completed.
A school in a lower-income area needed playground equipment, so Spencer and the school staff decided that a kickball court would be a good addition to the playground. The cost for the court was estimated to be approximately $1,000.
To fund the project, Spencer designed a hand-launched glider made of foam board. His dad helped him set up a computer program to print the graphics on the foam board. He then enlisted his Boy Scout team to cut out the glider parts and package them for sale.
The gliders sold for $10 each and cost $1 to make. Spencer and his team sold more than 100 gliders and met their $1,000 financial goal to purchase the materials for the kickball court. They then proceeded to build the court on weekends and in their spare time using Scout labor. The project passed the board of review, and Spencer now proudly wears the Boy Scouts’ top honor: the Eagle badge. Spencer is currently enrolled in the
University of North Dakota’s aviation science program and has completed approximately half of his pilot-in-command hours toward a pilot’s license. He joined AMA and a local model airplane club there, where he flies his aerobatic routine when he’s not studying.
The pictures show Spencer with his glider and other aircraft, and with his family and the finished kickball court at the school.
