Young Eagles
Young Eagles is a program of the EAA designed to introduce young people to aviation.
It provides free flights to those between the ages of 8 and 17 years.
The goal is to fly 1 million children before December 17, 2003, the hundreth anniversary of the Wright Brothers' first powered controlled flight.
Chapter 825 pilots are very active in the program and have flown a significant number of Young Eagles.
We fly Young Eagles on the first Saturday of each month which contains more than 4 Saturdays. Please see the Events page for more information.
If you are interested in participating, just come on up to the Shelby County Airfield and we'll make all the arrangements.
Our Young Eagles flights are free of charge and are open to children between the ages of 8 and 17 (i.e. the child cannot yet have turned 18). Generally the parent/guardian can also fly with the child if desired.
Good News for Young Eagles Pilots!
From the Young Eagles Newsletter:
Can I deduct expenses incurred while flying Young Eagles?
Yes. The IRS has ruled that volunteer Young Eagle Pilots can deduct direct,
out-of-pocket expenses incurred in direct connection with and solely
attributed the the Program. If these conditions are met, volunteers can
deduct direct out-of-pocket expenses such as:
- Fuel and oil directly consumed by the aircraft in the demonstration
flight, not to exceed 200 miles;
- Fuel and oil to another airport within 50 miles to meet a young person;
- Transportation, not to exceed 30 miles one-way, to and from the airport;
- The rental charge for a bus or van to bring a group of young people
to the airport;
- The rental expense of an airplane used only for the Program;
- Postage for mailing registration records to the Young Eagles Office;
- Extra liability insurance purchased solely for flights for the program;
- Landing and tiedown fees at a non-home-based airport;
- Aeronautical education materials;
- Meals for the young person (but not the volunteer); and
- Film and development of pictures for the young person.
Indirect expenses, such as hangar fees and annuals, are not considered
deductible. Please maintain reliable records (receipts or a
contemporaneous diary) of the out-of-pocket expenses.
For the purposes of computing the expense of transporting the volunteer
and/or young person to and from the airport in a passenger automobile,
a standard mileage rate can be used instead of operating expenses.
As always, check with your Tax Professional if you have any questions!