The local chapter of the Experimental Aircraft Association recently received the top honor from its parent organization.
Leesburg’s Mid Florida EAA Chapter 534 was awarded the Gold Medallion for 2022. Chapter 534 earned the silver medallion in 2019 and bronze in 2020 and 2021.
EAA National, which is based in Oshkosh, Wis., charters local chapters throughout the world to promote the spirit of general aviation, aircraft building, and the wonder of flying to the local level. The organization continually challenges the local chapters to be all they can be. They encourage them to achieve goals that will help them get the message out that building aircraft and exposing people to flying will produce more pilots and interest in aerospace.
The national organization does this by setting up a Chapter Recognition Program based on a set of 10 criteria each chapter must achieve to receive top honors. They give one point for each criterion based on an annual report. They also provide a bonus category for extra credit and will give another point for those chapters that do something extra. The criteria include membership growth, Young Eagles rallies, offering Ray Aviation Scholarships and hosting public events like Fly-ins and Pancake Breakfasts. For a full listing of all these goals, visit www.eaa.org/chapterrecognition.
EAA Chapter 534 received a score of 10 out of a possible 11 points, which qualified them for the Gold Medallion. This is a very active chapter at the Leesburg International Airport that has a membership of around 100 aircraft builders, current and retired pilots, and aviation enthusiasts both young and mature. Members come from all over Lake County with a large contingent from The Villages.
Chapter members make a successful organization. They are all volunteers. Pilots provide their planes for Young Eagles at no charge for anything, the chapter provides free meals for the aviation youth members on Saturday, and others spend hours building and restoring aircraft.
This chapter has been fortunate to have aircraft donated that have been in various states of repair that can be returned to airworthy condition and sold to help finance the aviation youth program. They are a non-profit 501 C- 3 organization, so they can receive tax-deductible donations.
They run free Young Eagles flights for young people each month, have an aviation youth program called Squadron 534, and have aircraft building projects for both adults and youth members. To date they have sponsored four young people who have won Ray Aviation $ 10,000 Scholarships for flight training. They have been authorized to select a young person for the 2023 Ray Scholarship by the national organization.
Aircraft building usually takes place at the EAA hangar on Thursday and Saturday and the aviation youth program meets from 10 am. -1 pm. on Saturday.
If you are a pilot, aircraft builder, or aviation enthusiast and are looking for a place to scratch that aviation itch among like-minded folks, come on down. The EAA hangar is located at the west end of the airport. Turn off RT 441 onto Wilco Drive then take your first right and you will see it.
If you would like to find out more about EAA Chapter 534 or the National organization, visit www.eaachapter534.org or  www.eaa.org.
