The Experimental Aircraft Association, Chapter 855, is headquartered at the Slatington Airport, 1000 Airport Lane. It fosters camaraderie among pilots and supports people who build their own kit airplanes.

But a more important purpose, according to President Gene Salvatore, is to introduce youth to its Young Eagles program that started in 1992 with free flights.A rally will be held at the Slatington Airport from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. June 14.Kids show up and are signed in. They meet their volunteer pilot and are urged to ask questions and learn more about airplanes and the principles of flight."The program is for kids 8 to 17 years old. Each person has a camera to use. For part of the 20-minute flight they will be flying the plane," said Salvatore.The pictures are put on a website so kids can see each other's photos. The number of views show that the pictures are being seen, he said.At the end of a flight, a logbook with the day's flight log and a certificate will be presented. The logbook has a unique code that provides free membership which includes EAA Sporty aviation magazine online, an e-newsletter and free admission to 300-plus science and technology museums.Sporty's Learn to Fly course, free with membership, is an interactive online course with real-world video and 3-D animations. Any 13-year-old who has completed the first three volumes of the course has earned a free flight lesson at a flight school of their choice.The instructor certifies to the Federal Aviation Administration when a student is ready to pass the written test. The Young Eagles program will pay for the test for those who pass.At the last rally there were five airplanes, but if there are not enough pilots use their own airplanes or if the weather keeps the planes down, the person will be put on a list to fly on an evening that is suitable to both the pilot and student.Salvatore says the United States is facing a pilot shortage."In this age of uncertain job prospects, pilots are almost guaranteed to get a job at a regional airport. To become an airline pilot is not easy, but people that love to fly will endure low wages at first until a larger airline has a place."There are Airline Academies that teach nothing but skills needed to be an airline pilot. It costs as much as a four-year college, but in today's economy college does not guarantee a job. Boeing says the country will be short 150,000 pilots in the next 10 years as the Pacific Rim countries look for pilots in an area where aviation is exploding," said Salvatore.There are not many people taking pilot training, so he thinks it is important. Some scholarships are available.The EAA has a technical counselor program that mentors people who are building a kit plane, which is what Salvatore did. When small, lightweight dependable engines were developed, it helped those who wanted to homebuild their planes. Each one has to pass an FAA inspection.Salvatore said he qualifies as a tech counselor a person someone can call to see if the builder is doing things correctly. He may make suggestions about the shop where work is being done. People just want someone else to look at what they are doing.They learn fabric covering and spray painting by creating a frame instead of learning on the actual plane. You don't install anything on the plane until you know it is perfect."Airports are closing. It is critical making sure we have pilots. The pilot population is a strategic asset for the country," Salvatore said.The closest EAA chapter other than Slatington is Braden Airport Chapter 70 in Forks Township.For information, go to

www.youngeagles.org/programs, or

www.855.eaachapter.org.