More than 300 young people have taken to the sky and soared like eagles thanks to Melinda Beaudry.
The 67-year-old Addison resident flew her 301st flight Sept. 24 for the ‘Young Eagles,? a program sponsored by the Experimental Aircraft Association headquartered in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.
Young Eagles was launched in 1992 as a way to expose young people between the ages of 8 and 17 to the world of aviation by taking a free flight with an EAA member pilot.
Since then, more than 1.1 million young people in 90 different countries have enjoyed flights given by nearly 40,000 volunteer pilots.
It’s wonderful being able ‘touch a life like that,? said Beaudry, who earned her pilot’s license in 1983 and has logged more than 1,800 hours of flight time. ‘The kids give you a big ol? hug. They’re so excited,? she said.
From the operation of airplanes to the principles of flight, Beaudry gives her Young Eagles a personal view of being a pilot from the cockpit of her 1969 Piper Cherokee 235, a four-seat, single-engine plane she purchased 10 years ago for about $56,000. She even lets kids take the controls while up in the air.
From the Dupont-Lapeer Airport in Mayfield Township (Lapeer County) where she stores her plane, Beaudry has also given free flights to disabled youth as part of the Texas-based ‘Challenge Air for Kids and Friends? program.
Founded in 1993 by Lt. Rick Amber, a Vietnam War Navy fighter pilot who lost the use of his legs when his plane crashed while returning from his 109th combat mission, the non-profit organization takes physically and mentally challenged children and young adults, along with seriously ill youth, on free plane rides.
The goal is to inspire the challenged and special needs youth to ‘soar above their perceived limitations,? according to the website www.challengeair.org. ‘Challenge Air for Kids and Friends was founded for the purpose of giving these young people a chance and a choice to see the world from a different view. A view from the sky!?
For Beaudry, who’s lived on Indian Lake Road for about 18 years, it’s these flights that are particularly rewarding on a personal level. ‘You take off and they just squeal (with delight),? she said. ‘You know this is probably the most exciting thing that’s ever happened to them in their whole life and they will never forget it.?
Besides exposing kids to the world of flight, Beaudry admitted her involvement in these programs is motivated by a some ‘selfish? reasons. ‘I love to fly and this gives me an excuse,? she said. ‘It’s a stress reducer.?
Beaudry said when she’s up in her plane ‘all of my troubles? shrink in size. ‘In the air, everything below is minute, little,? she said.
It was her nephew that gave her the idea to learn how to fly back in 1980. Beaudry had just finished work on her master’s degree in nursing and she asked her then 15-year-old nephew, ‘What should I do for myself??
‘I deserve a nice gift. This has been hard.?
Her nephew jokingly responded, ‘Why don’t you learn how to fly an airplance??
The idea intrigued Beaudry who soon began taking flying lessons. Today, she flies an average of 125 to 150 hours per year and has flown all along the West Coast, over the Rocky and Appalachian mountain ranges, and to exotic locales such as Prince Edward Island in eastern Canada and the Bahamas.
‘That’s something a lot of single engine pilots would not even consider doing ? going over the Bermuda Triangle,? she said of her trip to the Bahamas.
Next year, she’s planning a flight to Newfoundland.
While some people might be scared at the prospect of flying such long distances in a small plane, Beaudry believes ‘it’s the safest mode of transportation.?
‘Since I’ve been flying, I’ve had two people in cars run into me on the way to the airport,? she said.
During her 22 years of flying, Beaudry has only had one truly harrowing experience which could be described as a life-or-death situation.
She was flying her husband of 43 years, Richard, her older brother and her sister-in-law to Concord, North Carolina for a NASCAR race when the plane suffered a ‘complete electrical failure? above the clouds and over the Appalachian Mountains.
Although the plane itself still had power and plenty of fuel, Beaudry had no radio, no lights, no radar, no navigational instruments and no transponder sending out a signal letting others know where the plane was.
As the sun began to set, Beaudry knew she had to land the plane somewhere before it got dark.
Flying the plane through a ‘little holes in the clouds,? she was forced to make an ’emergency off-field landing on the side of a mountain? near Whitesburg, Kentucky.
A ‘ray of sunlight though the clouds? illuminated a 525-foot-wide ledge ? she later learned was an abandoned strip mine the local police used for target practice ? halfway down the side of a mountain she estimated to be 4,000 feet high.
Touching down a mere 35 feet from the edge of the ledge, Beaudry was able to make a safe landing.
Using an off-road-type path, ‘we had to literally crawl down the side of this mountain,? she said.
Once on the ground, Beaudry was able to contact representatives of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), who were surprised she was alive.
Apparently, there had been news broadcasts on the radio regarding a single-engine plane with four passengers ‘thought to be down.?
‘Two search-and-rescue planes from the Air Force were looking for us around Lexington, Kentucky where we had made a (rest) stop,? Beaudry said. The electrical failure happened about 20 minutes after leaving Lexington.
She was later commended by the FAA for how well she handled the situation and gets invited to speak about it to other pilots.
When she’s not up in the air, Beaudry teaches medical-surgical nursing, both theory and clinical, three days a week at Wayne County Community College. A Registered Nurse since 1972, she’s taught at WCCC for the last 12 or 13 years.
Beaudry said she was ‘all but a discertation? away from having her doctorate in nursing had it not been for the Army and Desert Storm.
In 1989, at the age of 51?, Beaudry, who was teaching Oakland University at the time, was persuaded by recuriters speaking to her class to join the Army Reserves.
After hearing their pitch, she told them, ‘That sounds interesting. I’d jump at that opportunity if I were younger.? Fortunately, the Army Reserves takes new recruits up to the age of 52. With six months to spare, Beaudry signed up.
She spent the next nine years in the reserves training medics for front-line battle and although she never was deployed as part of Desert Storm in 1991, she was on ‘two-hour alert status? the whole time, meaning she always had to be ready to leave with only two hours notice.
Beaudry, who rose from the rank of first lieutenant to captain and was promotable to major, said she enjoyed her time in the Army saying it was a ‘wonderful experience? and likening it to a ‘family.?
‘I don’t care how close you are with mom, dad, sisters, brothers, your spouse or children ? when you are in the military, the people you are serving with, they are your closest allies, they are your friends, they are your support and it’s a wonderful thing. I’m very pleased I had the opportunity to serve my country.?
‘I think every person, every citizen in the United States should have to serve in the military for a year or two. I don’t care what their status is,? she said.
Nurse, teacher, Army Reserve officer, pilot, airplane owner, role model for young people ? Melinda Beaudry is certainly a Renaissance woman.
Is there anything she can’t do?