By Gina Horan
Leesburg Aviation Chapter Marks 50 Years With Fly-In Breakfast
Pancakes, planes and a shared love of aviation brought pilots and families to Leesburg International Airport Saturday as EAA Chapter 534 celebrated 50 years of flying, building and introducing new generations to the skies.
The Mid-Florida chapter of the Experimental Aircraft Association welcomed visitors to its hangar for a Fly-In/Drive-In Pancake Breakfast, where some arrived by car and others simply landed their planes and walked over for breakfast.
For Tavares resident Migdalis Rivera, the chapter has become an important part of her 17-year-old son Abdiel Hernandez’s future.
“My son is an EAA member, and we have been coming here for two years,” Migdalis says. “Last year, he got a Ray scholarship so he can become a private pilot. He came here and started learning.”
Abdiel also spends Saturdays learning from chapter members and getting hands-on experience with aircraft mechanics.
“This chapter is really amazing and willing to get them involved in aviation every Saturday,” Migdalis says. “We don’t know what we would do without it. We just love the camaraderie.”
Founded in 1976, Chapter 534 brings together pilots, aircraft builders and restorers and others interested in aviation. Its programs include Young Eagles, which introduces young people to general aviation through free flights, as well as technical counselors, flight advisors and the Ray Aviation Scholarship program.
The “experimental” in Experimental Aircraft Association can be misleading to those outside aviation. Experimental aircraft are still regulated by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Qualifying amateur-built aircraft can receive an experimental airworthiness certificate, while standard-category production aircraft conform to an FAA-approved type design.
For longtime pilot Michael Pecue, aviation has been part of his life since childhood. He flew in from Umatilla Saturday and found himself briefly stuck in a holding pattern because of all the air traffic.
“It’s easier to fly,” Michael says.
His interest began with model airplanes and family outings to watch the real thing.
“My dad used to bring me and my brother and sister out in the old Ford LTD to the airports to watch, and it’s just been a part of my life ever since,” Michael says. “I always wanted to fly, and around 1995 I bought my first plane and have been flying ever since.”
Some of his favorite aviation memories involve watching young people discover that same fascination, including high school students in Umatilla who helped build an airplane.
“I saw kids in Umatilla build an airplane, and the first time it soloed and flew, it was so exciting,” Michael says. “Everybody was out there. It’s quite the community.”
Events like Saturday’s pancake breakfast also help support the chapter’s work, including programs that encourage young people to pursue aviation. Nationally, EAA’s Ray Aviation Scholarship program provides up to $12,000 toward flight training for selected young people, with $2.25 million in scholarship funding available annually.
Photos by Gina Horan
Gina moved to Central Florida from the San Francisco Bay Area in 2021. She holds a degree in linguistics and has worked as a fashion editor, photo stylist, lifestyle columnist and food writer since 1995. She later covered travel, events, restaurants, music festivals and sports throughout Northern California, including work as a morning show host with KSAN radio and food critic for KRON Bay TV. A veteran bartender, she has worked in hospitality on and off since high school. Gina joined Akers Media in 2022 and is currently the Food and Lifestyle Editor. Her passions include travel, road trips, history books and podcasts, tasting menus and arriving in a new city without a map.
