By Peter Schneider, EAA 298629, and Rita Schneider
This summer, after many years, my friend and former research co-worker Margarita Meta, her husband, Bob
Freeman, and their two sons, Emile and Ron, came for a long-promised visit to Germany. The last time we had seen each other was in Palo Alto, California, when I flew there from Palm Springs in a Cessna 172. Ron was still a toddler and Emile was not even born. The two boys, now aged 8 and 13, are excited about everything technical, especially when it comes to things like airplanes. This is where my Kitfox Vixen, hangared in the basement of my house, comes into play.
Seeing the plane with foldable wings in the garage is one thing, but taking it to fly is something very different, making small and big boys’ eyes shine! Let’s go flying then! We trailered the plane out of the hangar and towed it to the nearby airfield.
The air was clear and sunny, a perfect day to cruise above the beautiful city of Würzburg. Hop in and up we go! But being a co-pilot and sitting next to the pilot was not enough. Although it was his first time in such a little plane, Emile was brave and took over the stick like true pilots do. Landing came too soon, but his brother, Ron, was already waiting impatiently for his turn to take off. He, too, got to pilot the airplane in the air, of course.
It takes not much to make young people happy, a short flight will put a big smile on their faces. What an exciting experience for now and a precious memory of this trip to Germany for the future!
So in summer 2018, two Young Eagles from the United States were able to fly for the first time! They are both dreaming of flying again, and it was the highlight of their vacation. They said, “Vielen Dank!”