Lily Busenbark, EAA 1293705, has dreamed of flying Young Eagles before she even had her pilot certificate in hand. Lily’s first exposure to aviation was in August 2018 when she took her first Young Eagles ride.
“Oh my gosh it was insane,” she said. “The first time I was ever in a plane was through the Young Eagles, it didn’t even register in my mind that it [becoming a pilot] was a possibility until then, and then I flew and it was amazing and awesome.”
Since earning her certificate on October 20, she’s been looking forward to the day she’d get to return the favor.
After waiting out poor weather conditions earlier in the day, Lily flew her first two Young Eagles out of Columbus Airport (KCSG), Georgia, before returning to pick up another two passengers.
“I didn’t cry, but I was trying not to because it’s just such a cool opportunity to be able to give back to the same thing, I wouldn’t be where I am right now if it weren’t for EAA, and so to have that availability to give it back and to maybe spark the same thing in someone else is just crazy and just something that I never dreamed of being able to do,” she said.
Lily said she had a blast, and even let one of her passengers take the controls.
“It was super fun, I showed them how to keep the plane steady, and they did a good job,” Lily said. “They loved it, they were so excited, and the kid in front actually wanted to be a pilot so I was able to give advice and talk about that process. They asked a lot about navigation and how that works and what the process is and how I know where I’m going, which was just so cool.”
“Thank you to EAA and to everyone who has helped me because I’ve had a lot of challenges and stuff getting in the way of me getting my license and I would not have been able to do it without the EAA and especially my father,” she said.
Congratulations on accomplishing another milestone, Lily! The sky’s the limit!
Have you reached a milestone recently? Passed a checkride, given your first or hundredth Young Eagles flight, flown your homebuilt for the first time? Tell us about it at EAA.org/Submissions.