Enjoy good breakfast, help future flyers

As the warm and sunny days of summer arrive in North Idaho, the Bonners Ferry chapter of Experimental Aircraft Association is gearing up for the annual summer breakfast season. The monthly breakfasts take place at Bonners Ferry Airport on the last Saturday of the month starting from May through September 2019. They begin at 8 a.m. and continue until 10 a.m.

The breakfast is the main fundraising activity for the local chapter and it all goes toward scholarships to local students for ground school and flight training. The Bonners Ferry chapter has been in existence for more than 15 years and, in the past three years alone, has given out more than $10,000 in flying scholarships. Many of the students have obtained their private pilot as well as advanced pilot certifications.

Once a scholarship request has been received and approved, the chapter provides a $300 scholarship toward the ground school offered by Northern Air. Upon successful completion of the ground school and a passing grade from the Federal Aviation Administration private pilot written test, the student can then apply for a scholarship toward flying lessons, at which time the chapter funds a $2,500 flying scholarship at the local flight school.

Currently there are four individuals who have received scholarships and are actively pursuing their dream of learning how to fly. One will be attending the upcoming ground school, and two will be starting their actual flying lessons. The fourth is beginning her studies toward an advanced curriculum called “Instrument Rating.”

“Our fundraising breakfasts cannot be successful without the generous donations of our local merchants 3 Mile Café and local supermarkets for providing the food, and more importantly the kind people of Bonners Ferry as well as surrounding areas for attending the breakfasts with their generous donations,” said one of the members.

“Not only do we have many local people who attend the breakfast on a regular basis, but we also have many visitors who either drive or fly from miles away to support our cause,” he added.

The breakfast offers a chance to meet new people as well as talk to local and guest pilots. It is a great opportunity to ask questions and learn about aircraft as well as flying in general.

All the members of chapter 757 thank the community for their continued support and invite you to all the breakfasts.