By Jim Herpst, EAA 445149, EAA Chapter 242 President
EAA Chapter 242, based at Jim Hamilton–L.B. Owens Airport (KCUB) in Columbia, South Carolina, has a long and rich history of taking Young Eagles for their inaugural flights. To date, we have flown more than 11,506 children! On Memorial Day weekend, EAA Chapter 242 members did not disappoint as once again more than a dozen children had their first, and most memorable, flights. What was different this time though was that the main pilot facilitating the flights had himself been one of those aspiring Young Eagles many years previous! Tommy Kepley, EAA 1411128, states that when he was 5 years old, he recalls that his dad would drive him to get lunch at Wendy’s or Chick-fil-A, and then they would drive to the county airport, KCUB (Owen’s Field) where they would sit at the picnic tables eating lunch and watch the weekend traffic fly in and out of the airport. He remembers that, as they watched airplanes, he imagined that one day he might be able to be at the controls of one of those airplanes. As he grew older, these instances of airplane watching with his father faded, but the seed had been planted and his passion and dreams of aviation flourished. On his 10thbirthday, at the same Owen’s Field, he took his first Young Eagles flight. He relates that this experience was incredible and affirmed his goal to one day become a pilot. Since then, he has participated as support line crew in many Young Eagles flights and has brought many of his friends to take their first Young Eagles flights. On Memorial Day weekend this year, the Young Eagles student who had been inspired by aviation at KCUB 10 years earlier, gave his inaugural Young Eagles flight at the same airport.
Tommy’s interest in aviation led him to become an avid model aircraft flyer, which led to his membership in the Academy of Model Aeronautics (AMA). He began model aircraft flying with homebuilt quadcopters, and built of them, each with various iterations and purposes. His first quad was an all-around copter with moderate speed, agility, and photography ability. His second two quads focused on photography, which led to creating drones that were stable masters of cinema. A few years ago, he was given his first model airplane, a giant taildragger with a wingspan taller than himself. He has shared with me that he loves this airplane and flies it whenever he gets a chance to do so.
Tommy noted that his aviation activities related to the world of simulation began in middle school, when his Christmas and birthday wish lists contained requests for yokes, rudder pedals, throttle quadrants, and switch panels. He enjoyed the simulator experience because it provided for him the best realistic flight experience he could have, besides being in an airplane. This experience led to his work as an air traffic controller on the Virtual Air Traffic Simulation network (VATISM). Tommy wanted to learn as much as possible about aviation and felt that being a controller has helped him to learn the “other side of the radio” — the reasons and mentality controllers have when issuing directions.
As a senior member of his Boy Scout troop, he has helped many of his peers to attain their merit badges, including an aviation badge. After the scouts finished the classroom part of attaining the badge, he then took them to Owens airport for a Young Eagles flight. Throughout his teenage years he has tried to learn as much as he could about aviation and to do so he has completed programs such as the Sporty’s Learn to Fly course and the Embry-Riddle online learning videos. Tommy furthered his dream of aviation by applying for an AOPA scholarship, and after being awarded that scholarship, he attained his private pilot certificate in July 2020. Prior to attaining his private pilot certificate, he wrote and passed the written exam for his instrument rating, and in 2021 he successfully completed his instrument checkride, followed by the recent completion of his commercial certificate.
Tommy has shared that the reason he wants to fly is threefold: to enjoy his passion in flight, to gain practical experience for a career, and to share aviation with others. Towards that end, Tommy just completed his sophomore year at Virginia Tech, where he is majoring in aerospace engineering with a minor in business. He is a member of the Virginia Tech Design, Build, Fly team: a competition team that designs and builds, from scratch, an airplane capable of meeting certain mission requirements. He is also a member of the Hokie Astronaut Corps (HAC), an organization dedicated to growing student understanding and knowledge in air and space travel. As an advanced ground instructor, he has taught a class for the HAC that prepared students for the private pilot written exam and/or the Part 107 Remote Pilot written exam. He is also a member of the Hokie Flying Club, a community flying club based out of the Blacksburg airport, right next to Virginia Tech. Additionally, he has become an avid glider pilot, and is currently working towards his glider private pilot rating. He hopes to become a tow pilot for the glider club in Blacksburg, and has a goal to become a glider CFI in the near future. This summer Tommy has a job working for NAVAIR at NAS Jacksonville, where he will be working for the Fleet Support Team (FST) that supports the Navy’s training airplanes. This fall, Tommy will be starting a co-op in an engineering department with Gulfstream Aerospace in Savannah, Georgia, and in spring 2023 will return to his studies at Virginia Tech.
What was most striking about Tommy’s Young Eagles flights on Memorial Day weekend was the fact that he had to borrow his former flight instructor’s airplane in order to facilitate the flights as he does not own his own aircraft. Additionally, he was honored to be able to take two of Jim Hamilton’s great-grandchildren flying, Bennet and Alex. For Bennet, it was his inaugural Young Eagles flight. Hamilton himself has had quite an influence on the aviation community as his career has included service as an artillery officer, aviator, and paratrooper in the U.S. Army. He was appointed to three four-year terms on the South Carolina Aeronautics Commission and was elected chairman twice, was KCUB airport manager for 46 years, and is a lifelong member of EAA Chapter 242. According to Hamilton, at age 8, Maj. Gen. Charles Bolden, astronaut, former NASA administrator, USMC (Ret.) had his first flight here in Columbia, South Carolina, with Tuskegee Airman Mr. Earnest Henderson. Little did Mr. Henderson know how high young Bolden would soar after his extraordinary aeronautical career was launched here!
After college, Tommy wants to pursue a career in aeronautical engineering and believes that having well-rounded, real-world aviation experiences will greatly help him in his career path. His overall goal is to share his love of aviation with others, and he relishes the opportunities to take others on their first flights, as someone did for him when he was 10 years of age.
Working through my now seventh year being president of this EAA chapter, which has a rich history since being founded in 1965, has been a true pleasure. It’s helping young folks like Tommy, who we have been able to connect with the EAA programs, that makes my experience over-the-top great.