Joe Ermel, EAA 1092243, former Young Eagle participant turned Young Eagles pilot, has many individuals to thank for helping him achieve the first milestone in his aviation journey: becoming a private pilot. Joe began flying with his grandfather, Arnie Zimmerman, at the age of 2 in Arnie’s Breezy. From there, the spark was lit.
Arnie continued as Joe’s primary mentor and flight instructor, but his network grew once he became involved with EAA Chapter 15. The Young Eagles pilots and members of Chapter 15 welcomed Joe with open arms and provided unwavering support throughout his flight training.
In spring of 2019, Chapter 15 felt so confident in Joe that it nominated him as its Ray Aviation scholar. With this financial boost from the scholarship, and continued support from chapter members, Joe passed his private pilot checkride on July 7, 2019.
With the ink barely dry on his private pilot certificate, Joe was set on paying it forward and getting more involved with EAA Chapter 461’s Young Eagles program. Chapter 461 is a chapter Joe has been closely involved with for decades. On September 14, at the age of 17, Joe flew five Young Eagles, achieving another major milestone! To top it off, Joe was able to provide these flights while sporting his brand new Lightspeed Zulu 3 headset, given to him by Lightspeed Aviation as a part of the Ray Aviation Scholarship program.