Pilot introduces local kids to flight
Young Eagles program flies out of Ray Twp. airport
St. Clair Shores pilot Robert Mahieu remembers the magic he felt the first time he steered an airplane.
Now 68, he was 21 years old and had recently bought property in the City of Detroit. He approached a group of pilots at what is now Coleman A. Young International Airport on Conner Avenue in Detroit and asked if anyone was willing to take him up so he could get a bird’s eye view of his newly-acquired house.
“Everyone jumped at the chance,” said Mahieu.
He paid for a one-hour flight and after viewing his property, there was a lot of time left. The pilot asked Mahieu if he wanted to steer the plane around for a little bit, and Mahieu has never been the same.
“I came home and did not dare tell my parents what I had done,” he said. “I secretly started reading everything I could about flying and a year later, I started to take flying lessons. Three months after that I got my pilots’ license and it changed my life.”
Mahieu never desired to become a commercial pilot; he enjoys flying small planes at a slow speed and enjoying the view from above. Growing up in Harper Woods, he had an interest in mini bikes, go carts and ultimately motorcycles. But all were just a mode of transportation; he never enjoyed racing and preferred tooling around on back roads, taking time to absorb the sights.
“It was just the kind of thing I could do on my own
and have a little bit of freedom,” said Mahieu.
Flying took that feeling to the next level for him and through his work with the Young Eagles program, Mahieu hopes to help young people discover their own passion for flight.
“Through flying, I made a whole new family and that family has kept me so rich in experience. I wish everyone could find that kind of solace,” said Mahieu. “After 40 years, every time I take off this amazement of how beautiful it is doesn’t diminish. There is a mosaic of colors and patterns and you are bombarded with how unique and interesting this world is.”
The Young Eagles program was started by the Experimental Aircraft Association in 1992 to introduce youth ages 8-17 to the world of flight.
EAA members volunteer to give kids free airplane rides and expose them to being airborne and
help them learn what a pilot does. Mahieu and other local Young Eagles pilots work out of Ray Community Airport in Ray Township.
“I love seeing the smiles on their faces,” said Mahieu. “A lot of kids come in a little nervous because their parents are nervous. But they look around and see other kids going up and they think maybe they can take a chance. They become amazed so quickly; their jaws drop and they are looking around. It is a moment you get only once.”
Like a young Mahieu when he got a kick out of flying over his own house in Detroit, the kids get excited when they look down on their house or their school or if they see deer or other wildlife in a way that they have not seen before. It is much more dramatic than seeing something on a video game.
Every once in a while, Mahieu gets a teen who has come to Young Eagles because a parent thought it would be a good idea. They make it clear they fully expect to be bored and might begin the flight engrossed in their cell phone.
“They’re texting their girlfriends because they know this is going to be so lame,” said Mahieu. “But more often than not, they start looking out the window and they start seeing things. You look over and notice they are taking a picture and texting it to a friend.”
That is when Mahieu will ask the Young Eagle if they would like to steer the plane for a little while. That kid might still act bored after the flight, but Mahieu has a hunch the photos taken from the airplane window will end up on Instagram later that day.
In his 25 years with the Young Eagles, Mahieu has taken more than 800 kids up in the air. He typically takes several 20- or 30-minute mini trips every week and after all of this time, still gets a thrill when he is soaring over the earth. He hopes the kids he has introduced to flight and who have explored piloting as a hobby feel that same exhilaration for years to come.
“It is a different world than when I grew up,” said Mahieu. “Now kids want to know what career opportunities are available to a pilot and how much money they can make. I try to remind them of the sense of freedom flying gives you. It is not just about being up in the air but getting a new perspective when you are on the ground.”
To learn more about the Young Eagles program, visit youngeagles.org. You can contact the EAA Chapter at the Ray Community Airport at eaachapter13,org or by contacting chapter president Rex Phillips at 586-918-3838 or runwayrex@gmail.com.