Bronze Eagles!
A few weeks ago, a distinguished-looking gentleman strolled out of the FBO at my home base, Houston Southwest Airport (AXH), as I was unloading from a flight. He introduced himself as Darrel Gaines, a member of the Bronze Eagles Flying Club of Texas. I’d never heard of it, but folks in flying clubs generally have the right idea. He said they were hosting a fly-in the next weekend at Ellington Field. Would I like to bring some kids by, or come by and fly some kids around? I couldn’t commit on the spot, but, boy, had he come to the right place: I’m a sucker for taking kids flying….
A little diligence turned up that the Bronze Eagles have been around longer than I have, and they’re a big deal! The non-profit club was founded in 1967 by Tuskegee Airmen mechanic Hulon “Pappy” White, his wife Azellia White (one of the first African-American women to earn a pilot’s license in the U.S. and an inductee into the Texas Aviation Hall of Fame), and two other former Tuskegee Airmen. The four had previously run the Sky Ranch Flying Service, which in the late 1940s served as a commercial and charter airport in south Houston for the segregated black community and provided instruction to veterans interested in flying. In 1985, the club assumed its current name, the Bronze Eagles Flying Club of Texas. More recently, it became a chapter of the Black Pilots of America.
One of the principal goals of the Bronze Eagles is “to provide opportunities to under-privileged youth to expand their interest in achieving aviation-related careers.” Among other things, the club provides scholarships for aviation training at BPA’s two-week Summer Flight Academy, held annually at Houston Southwest Airport. The club also sponsors fly-ins with free familiarization flights and control tower tours for interested kids. The Bronze Eagles have a long-running partnership with NASA, and you can often find an astronaut or two at their fly-ins. The unassuming Gaines is also a stealth heavyweight: when not fulfilling his charge as State Chaplain for the Bronze Eagles, he performs software oversight for NASA’s Orion spacecraft, Space X’s Dragon II and Boeing’s Starliner. The coming weekend was not just some random fly-in; it was the first post-pandemic occurrence of the long-running Dr. Jesse Hayes Annual Children’s Fly-In, former participants of which have gone on to become airline pilots, fighter pilots, and astronauts.
I confirmed to Darrel that I’d attend, and, early Saturday morning, made the short, 22-mile flight from AXH over to Ellington Field (EFD). Signature Flight Support graciously hosted the event, and I met Darrel, the other Bronze Eagle membership, and the half-dozen volunteer pilots there shortly after 8 a.m. Darryl Smith, Bronze Eagle officer and software testing expert at Boeing, gave a short pilot briefing and also described how we could help the few Boy Scouts attending to complete their aviation merit badge. With that, we joined the growing crowd outside for the opening remarks by Bronze Eagle Regional Chairman James Miller, who gave us pilots a rousing shout-out mid-speech. After that, it was out to the ramp to commit some aviation!
Aviation Merit Badge
Before the crowd could follow, Bronze Eagle volunteer and aviation enthusiast Rev. Develous Bright caught up with me for a quick interview…
After that, the Summer Flight Academy trainees were on hand to corral the waiting kids to the planes safely. Some were literally hopping up and down with excitement! Although they were raring to go, each flight group (4 kids) got a short briefing before we loaded for takeoff (for these short flights, just the basics: seat belts, headsets, air vents, etc.). Some groups rock-paper-scissored for the co-pilot seat. Although there were Bronze Eagle volunteers marshaling the aircraft, when it’s time to start the engine, kids always have a ball yelling out the door: “Clear prop!”
With a quick call to Ellington ground control, we were off! The flights were brief — no more than 15 minutes and not far from the field — but I managed to get each of the co-pilots a minute or two at the controls, usually on the extended downwind leg of the traffic pattern. Big smiles! I ended up flying seven (whew, 7!) groups — 26 kids, plus one parent. They all seemed to have a fabulous time and disembarked chattering away about the experience. It’s incredibly satisfying to see these kids have such fun, learn something, and get inspired about aviation!
It’s also exhausting! Obviously my first job was to fly the plane safely. But I also always (happily) end up as impromptu teacher, tour guide, and photographer: the questions were non-stop, and everyone always wants a photo, usually texted to them right after we land. After a while, even the Ellington control tower seemed concerned. I’d been on the radio with them all morning, and as I taxied to the runway for the sixth flight, they jokingly asked, “Are you going to get a lunch break?” Yes, eventually, but in the meantime the fly-in’s various helpers plied me and the other pilots with ice-cold water, which, on the concrete ramp in the middle of a record-breaking Texas July, was a welcome assist.
Planes, too, get finicky when you stop and start them in the heat. After shut-down on a hot ramp, fuel in the fuel line will sometimes vaporize, requiring a special “hot start” procedure. Pilots typically dread a “hot start,” because if you don’t do it right, passenger confidence rapidly erodes as you struggle, embarrassingly, to even start the engine. Luckily, the Beech “hot start” procedure is fairly fool-proof. Even so, at some point during the day you might have caught me whispering to the plane, a la Han Solo’s muttered pleas to the Millennium Falcon….
When the last youngster climbed out of the plane around 1:30 p.m., I declared “Mission Accomplished!” and hustled inside to sample the amazing hand-grilled lunch spread Gaines had laid on for volunteers. We all toasted a successful completion of the Dr. Jesse Hayes Fly-In, having collectively launched 100+ kids into the air. Mr. Gaines could not have been more gracious and thankful for the help. I reluctantly turned down his offer of a tour of the Ellington control tower, as I was already late getting home. At his insistence, I packed a box full of cookies for my family, and, promising to catch up soon, headed for home. Ellington tower, probably happy to have me out of their traffic pattern, wished me well as I scooted home out of their airspace.
I had a great time flying for the Bronze Eagles. I look forward to next year’s fly-in!
