By Kyle Coppola
Umatilla Students Take To The Skies With Young Eagles Program
Umatilla, Fla. – Over 100 children from across Lake County took to the skies on Saturday, experiencing their first introductory flight as part of the Young Eagles program at the Umatilla Municipal Airport. Hosted by the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) Young Eagles Chapter, the event gave aspiring young aviators a taste of flight in an effort to inspire future generations of pilots.
(Charelle Burgess took these young children up for their first ever flight. This is a great way to introduce potential future pilots to the joys of flying.)
One local volunteer, Umatilla Middle School teacher Charelle Burgess, played a key role in the event, personally piloting more than 10 “Young Eagles” during the day. For Burgess, the experience was deeply personal, as it brought her full circle. Growing up in Umatilla, she first flew at the same airport over 30 years ago and now gives back to the community by sharing her love of aviation with her students.
“This airport is where it all started for me,” Burgess said. “To be able to return, not just as a pilot, but as a volunteer helping kids discover the excitement of flying, is really special.”
The Young Eagles program, which began in 1992, has provided free flights for more than 2 million children nationwide, aiming to foster interest in aviation. The next Young Eagles event is scheduled for November 2. More information can be found at youngeagles.org.
Photos of Burgess and her students, taken from inside the cockpit, captured the excitement and joy of the day, as these “Young Eagles” took flight for the first time. Such a cool experience for all of them!
Kyle Coppola was born in Newton, Massachusetts and received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Communications from Curry College in 2016. After traveling to Florida on a family vacation, he decided he could not get enough of the warm weather and made the move from snowy Massachusetts to central Florida 8 years ago.
For the last decade Kyle has gained valuable experience in social media content creation, marketing and sales, writing, video production, sports announcing and even broadcasting for local radio stations, such as FM 102.9 in The Villages and FM 91.5 in Massachusetts. Every year he volunteers at The Villages Charter High School as a play-by-play sports announcer for the football games as well as a public address announcer for the basketball games, including the annual Battle at The Villages Tournament.
Outside the office Kyle is a husband and father to two beautiful girls along with their cat. In his spare time he likes to spend time with his family, travel, play golf and swim. He is also a huge sports junkie and even bigger motorsports fan and loves to attend racing events when he can.
