Congratulations to Allie Draper, EAA 1265668, for passing her private pilot checkride on August 15. Allie said her love for aviation was stoked from a young age thanks to her father bringing her to air shows, but the man she calls a second father was the first to take her up in the air.
Bill Steier, EAA Lifetime 504384, gave Allie a Young Eagles flight in a 1965 Cessna 172 and also served as her flight instructor. Bill is a member of EAA Chapter 1229, and Allie said he was crucial in getting her aviation journey off the ground.
“Bill was honestly the best,” Allie said. “He taught me how to change the oil, change the tires. … He’s kind of taken me in as another daughter, and I think of him as another father figure.”
Allie is now the first pilot in her family, and she recently began her college career with the goal of becoming a professional pilot. She said she’s hoping to fly back home to attend chapter pancake breakfasts and to share her experience by flying the next generation of Young Eagles.
Have you reached a milestone recently? Passed a checkride, given your first or hundredth Young Eagle flight, flown your homebuilt for the first time? Tell us about it at editorial@eaa.org.