Young Aviators Fly-In @ Triple Tree Aerodrome

By Jeff Jorgenson, Cayla McLeod and Ryan Hunt

It’s kind of fun to do the impossible ~ Walt Disney

At ages 19 and 23, Cayla McLeod and Ryan Hunt did something neither of them had done before. The two put on what was the first of its kind - a youth fly-in at Triple Tree Aerodrome (SC00) in Woodruff, South Carolina. This was the first time either of them had ever hosted or organized any kind of event. It was also the first time Triple Tree had an aviation event open to the general public, and it was a huge success! As AviNation attended the event, we were continually amazed at several key factors, which we believe contributed to its success. First, it was all-inclusive. Yes, it was a “youth” fly-in, targeting Young Aviators ages 14 to 24. However, seasoned adults were just as welcomed, as were families and younger children. Secondly, a large

part of the aviation industry rallied around the event. AviNation was there to watch EAA, AOPA, and the Academy of Model Aeronautics support the event. The 99’s were there, Air Force recruiters, and even airline recruiters from Endeavor and ExpressJet. From the teenagers of the Lakeland Aero Club, who flew up from Florida in two J-3 Cubs, to the Huey helicopter and Beech 18’s who made a commanding presence on the field, there were hundreds of planes to stop and gawk at throughout the weekend. The field itself also deserves some credit. It is an immaculate, golf-course quality, 7000 ft grass strip with plenty of aircraft parking, as well as plenty of room for tent camping and over 50 camper hookups.

Perhaps the most remarkable is how this event came to be. Cayla McLeod got her start in aviation only four years ago thanks to a Young Eagles ride out at

Peach State Aerodrome in Williamson, GA. At the age of 16, she started flying lessons and experienced an unfortunate setback when her flight instructor, Ron Alexander, passed away in a Curtiss Jenny accident. Faced with mortality, she made the rather easy decision to continue to fly. During this time she was involved in the Candler Field Museum Youth Aviation Program where she traded over 750 hours of volunteer time for 75 hours of flight time. This is how she was able to earn her Private Pilot’s Certificate. She helped restore aircraft like Champs, Cubs, Super Cubs, a Stearman and a Kinnerbird, which gave her valuable experience on the maintenance side of aviation, as well as the flying side.

While Cayla was finishing up her Private Pilot training, she met Ryan Hunt, who had grown up in aviation. He offered to take her up in the Hunt family airplane (a

T-34 Mentor), and they started flying together on occasion. After months passed, the two became very close and could be found hanging out and flying out of the Hunt hangar whenever their schedules allowed. That still remains true to this day! Ryan is a third generation A&P and commercial pilot.

After receiving an invitation from Triple Tree’s patriarch, Pat Hartness, the two decided to venture up to Triple Tree for a tour. After touring the immaculate grounds with some members of the Triple Tree Board of Directors, Hartness approached the two about hosting a youth fly-in. Ryan and Cayla did not even have to think about it. Their immediate answer was, “Absolutely”. In December, the fly-in planning went into full swing. As Ryan humbly stated, “All it took was a couple of phone calls and emails before the word of a youth fly-in started spreading like wildfire.” While watching them in action at the event, it was obvious they had earned tremendous support from the Triple Tree leadership and a multitude of volunteers, for which they are truly thankful. They wanted to specifically thank AOPA and the EAA for their event planning expertise, which was paramount to their success. They also wanted to thank the AMA, which was a major part of the event with a fantastic RC Airplane display and even RC airshows. It was well organized and professionally orchestrated.

I asked them how to get more youth involved. Their answer was, “Lend a helping hand to the next generation. Take a young kid up for a flight, or sit down and teach them how an airplane flies. It’s all about sparking that passion. You never know the impact that a small conversation might have!”

They were only able to do this event due to the mentorship in the industry. They valued the encouragement and support from all the aviation mentors that helped make this event such a huge success. It solidifies what we believe at AviNation. The ‘Adults’ in the aviation industry were mentored and/or learned through trial and error. Over time, their experiences led to prejudging ‘what will work’ and industry challenges they have faced, and competitive nature tends to make the current protective and mysterious. This attitude can sometimes make it difficult for the next generation to become involved. Individuals like Ryan and Cayla are working to change that.

The event was a great success by any measure. One of the highlights being the fact that they flew over 50 Young Eagles on their first-ever airplane ride. There were several attendees who said this was the first fly-in event they had participated in. There were

over 200 aircraft on the field, dozens of campers, and many drive-in attendees. They held a raffle at the event on Saturday evening that was really inspiring. Another highlight from the event was the raffle drawing that raffled off items such as GoPros, Stratuses, and even large RC airplanes. Ryan and Cayla had kids, ages 4 to 8, line up and each got to draw a raffle ticket from the jar. As each kid drew, many of the recipients chose to donate the gifts they had won to either the kid who drew the ticket, or in a couple of instances, to the youngest pilots who flew in. That level of mentorship is a sacrifice. It is a selfless gesture of successful industry leaders who are willing to step up to support and encourage the next generation of Young Aviators. By planting these seeds, I have now seen first-hand how democracy in the Open Air can create and inspire the next generation of pilots. I am convinced that this is what is needed in General

Aviation to keep it viable and strong into the future. Guiding the youth, so they understand the balance of being careful and responsible, but also being allowed to make the mistakes will help them learn and grow. It will also breed new ways to promote, encourage, and use aviation.

Triple Tree Aerodrome holds its big annual fly-in in September 2018, so Ryan and Cayla are taking a little time to relax and enjoy each other’s company before they start planning next year’s Young Aviators Fly-In. The event is expected to be held again in June of 2019. Some of their considerations are making sure school is out for maximum availability of attendees and trying not to coincide with other regional aviation events. This was AviNation’s first trip to Triple Tree as a staff; and we, for one, plan to attend and support this fantastic event in the future.