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The
Young Eagles Program got its start in Chicago in
the summer of 1994, when the organization known as
the Tuskegee Airmen,
Incorporated (TAI) held its annual convention in
the city. TAI is made up of
individuals who were among the first African
Americans to receive military aviation training during World War
II and others.
At the outset of
the war, America's Armed Forces were segregated
and African Americans were unable to train with
other military personnel. With support
from progressive political figures, a training
facility was established for Black volunteers at
Tuskegee, Alabama. But many Americans, including
many in the military, did not believe African
Americans were capable of military aviation.
The Tuskegee Airmen proved otherwise.
Tuskegee ground crews maintain the aircraft that
enabled Tuskegee pilots to escort U.S. bombers
on raids over Europe without ever losing a
bomber on their missions.
While many of the
men and women who served at Tuskegee went on to
leadership positions in society and business,
their accomplishments were not well known.
In 1972, TAI was formed to educate the public,
and especially young people, about the heroic
achievements of the Tuskegee Airmen.
Although it was originally comprised exclusively
of individuals who served at Tuskegee, today,
the organization welcomes as its members: the
relatives of the original Tuskegee participants
as well as individuals from all races and
backgrounds who want to help perpetuate the
legacy of the Tuskegee Airmen.
Each year, TAI
holds a national convention that provides
members the opportunity to renew acquaintances
and talk with audiences about their struggles
and accomplishments. When the convention
came to Chicago in 1994, organizers wanted to
offer activities for the young people who
attended the convention with their parents.
Many of the children were either the
grandchildren or other relatives of the original
Tuskegee Airmen.
The organizers
turned for help to Ken Rapier, a local
pilot and cousin of an original Tuskegee Airmen.
Rapier is an aviation enthusiasts who enjoys
sharing his love of flying with others. He
is a member of several aviation organizations
including Tuskegee Airmen, Inc., Friends of
Meigs Field, and the Experimental
Aircraft Association (EAA). Friends of
Meigs Field is a 6,000 member organization,
which is at the forefront of efforts to save the
airport. The EAA is a Wisconsin-based
organization with an international membership of
170,000. The EAA is one of the aviation
industry's most prominent organizations.
The TAI Convention of 1994 was held a short distance
from Meigs Field and Rapier thought it would be fun
to offer the children a bird's eye view of Chicago's
dramatic skyline and lakefront. He contacted
the regional director of EAA who enlisted the help
of local members. The members joined Rapier in
taking approximately 80 children on flights around
the city. Roy Chappel, then head of the
Chicago Chapter of TAI, thought it would be a good
idea to offer the flights once a month.
The EAA was delighted to support the Tuskegee Airmen
since the two organizations share a commitment to
introducing young people to the world of aviation.
To help seed future generations of aviation
enthusiasts, the EAA had launched an outreach
initiative called the Young Eagles Program.
Under the program, EAA members volunteer time and
resources to take young people on short flights
that, in many cases, provide an initial introduction
to the world of aviation. As part of its
development efforts, the EAA established a goal of
introducing one million youngsters to flight through
the Young Eagles Program as part of its
centennial celebration of the Wright brothers' first
flight, which occurred on December 17, 1903.
On the second Saturday of every month, Ken Rapier
and other volunteers have gathered at Meigs Field to
conduct Young Eagle rallies. Volunteers from
the EAA, TAI, and Friends of Meigs have been most
active in the program. Despite Chicago's
notoriously mercurial weather, the program operated
year-round, weather permitting. According to
Rapier, EAA records show that over 6,000 children
have been flown from Meigs Field since the program's
inception in August 1994.
"The Young Eagles is a great program because it gives kids their
first taste of flying an airplane. We get
them up in the sky, teach them how a plane
works, and provide them with a great
introduction to flying," said Steve Whitney,
chairman of Friends of Meigs Field, who is
also regular a Young Eagles volunteer. His
organization became involved because many of its
members are also members of EAA.
Whitney admits his
organization has sought to garner more support for
the airport by encouraging the widest public use
possible. "We know the airport has been under
threat, and we've tried to
make it as asset for the entire city," said
Whitney.
According
to Whitney, the typical rally was supported by 10
to 20 pilots who volunteered their time and
aircraft to take more than 100 youngsters on
flights around the city. Another 10 to 20
volunteers would remain on the ground and expose
the waiting children to other aspects of
aviation. "Our
program introduced young people to flying and the field
of aviation. The intent (was) not to make someone a
pilot. Not everyone wants to be a pilot.
There are many other aspects to aviation other than being a
pilot," said Beverly Dunjill, president
of the Chicago Chapter of TAI. " We would take the kids on tours of the
tower and give them a chance to hear the tower operator
give instructions on take- offs and landings. When
the fire station existed (at Meigs Field), we would take
the kids there as well."
Many
Tuskegee Airmen have been outspoken in their
opposition to the closing of Meigs Field.
For Ken Rapier, the closing is personal and
especially painful. He not only started the
flights that eventually grew into the Chicago
Young Eagles Programs, but he knows first hand the
positive influence exposure to aviation can have
in a young person's life.
Rapier
took special pleasure in the largely positive
reaction most Young Eagles had after completing
their flight. He recalled with great emotion
the reaction of one youngster who was about eight
years old. "Walking back to the
terminal, I asked this kid how he liked the
flight," said Rapier. "He looked up at
me and said, "This is one day I'm never going
to forget."
Having
the opportunity to make a personal connection with
a child is why many of the volunteers participated
in the Young Eagles Program, and why so many are
frustrated by the Mayor's decision to shut down
Meigs Field.
"The
idea is to make a positive impact on youngsters
when it's going to make a difference in their
life," continued Rapier. "We want
to encourage them to get into a productive
endeavor in life.
Rapier,
now 55 years old, first developed an interest in
flying as a youngster watching the Sky King
television program on Saturday mornings. The
show featured a modern-day cowboy named Sky King
who had a twin-engine Cessna 310 aircraft.
"Each week, Sky King would have adventures
that required him to fly his airplane,"
recalled Rapier. "I thought that was
the coolest thing - being a cowboy and flying a
plane." But despite his early interest, it
would take Rapier several years to get into
aviation.
In
1974, Rapier was working at the McCormick Place,
which is a large convention facility located on
the lakefront near Meigs Field. One day,
while having lunch on the lawn located between the
facility and the lake, Rapier watched a Cessna Sky
Hawk approach the runway at Meigs Field.
According to Rapier, that was the moment he
decided to become a pilot. "It's was like an
epiphany," declared Rapier who began taking
lessons the next day.
Along
with his new found passion, Rapier also developed
a strong desire to share aviation with
others. Today, he owns a Piper Cherokee,
which he had painted with the distinctive markings
of the fighter airplanes flown by the Tuskegee
Airmen in World War II. He uses his airplane
to give a brief history lesson to anyone who shows
an interest. He especially enjoyed using his
distinctive aircraft to teach children at the
Young Eagles rallies.
"We
drew hundreds of kids from every nook and cranny
of the city," said Rapier. They weren't
just the poor and disadvantaged. We drew
church groups, the Boy Scouts, Police
Explores." Rapier even recounted the
time students from Merriville Academy on Chicago's
North Side participated in the Young Eagles
Program. The academy is well known in the
Chicago area for providing quality instruction to
youth from troubled backgrounds.
The
rallies not only served a diverse group of young
people, it also brought together a very diverse
group of volunteers and helped foster strong
friendships between members of the Tuskegee
Airmen, EAA and the Friends of Miegs.
"The
Tuskegee Airmen have been wonderful to partner with, but
they aren't getting any younger," said
Whitney. "None of the original guys is flying
any more. One of the things the Friends of Meigs
has done is help fill in the gap. A lot of the
ground volunteers, the reservations processing (people),
and the pilots are members of Friends of Meigs."
The
Young Eagles Program was apparently
succeeding on many levels, then, on March
31, 2003, Mayor Daley decided to close Meigs
Field. It came as a surprise to
everyone. "The
action by the Mayor ... to tear up Meigs Field ...
this was a shock and surprise to us because no one
received any advance notice. All of a sudden
it was done, which completely disrupted
everything," said Dunjill who was
planning to attend the next rally scheduled for
the second Saturday in April.
"We've
had to suspend the Young Eagles Program until the
litigation is resolved," said Dunjill.
The
sudden and clandestine closing of Meigs angered
many general aviation enthusiasts.
"This is a national issue in the aviation
community, not just a little local thing,"
declared Whitney whose organization has joined
others in seeking intervention from the
courts.
In
the meanwhile, Meigs sits empty, guarded 24-hours
a day by a police patrol car. It is a costly
no-win situation for everyone. Mayor Daley
isn't any closer to having his park; the revenues
which the City would have generated from landing
fees have gone away; jobs have been lost, pilots
and business travelers have been inconvenienced,
and a program that touched so many has been idled.
"The
closing of Meigs represents a real loss for the
(Young Eagles) Program," said Dunjill.
One
might argue that the closing of Meigs Field
represents a real loss to the entire City of
Chicago, especially the young people who may never
experience a flight or the joy of taking off and
landing along Chicago's beautiful lakefront.
The
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