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Epting says it\u2019s the magic that happens when a kid comes to\nthe airport, whether from the hospital or elsewhere, they\u2019re all thinking they\u2019re\ngoing to look at airplanes, and maybe even go up in one. \u201cThen we go flying,\u201d said\nEpting, \u201cIt\u2019s then that a child\u2019s perspective, their appreciation of the\nmagnitude of the world, of the greater horizons and broader opportunities, all\nspread out in front of them.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Many of the children he\u2019s flown are burn victims from local hospitals. The experience of flying with Epting opens their imagination to what\u2019s possible in their lives. \u201cDoctors tell us that burns are psychologically painful as well as physically,\u201d said Epting. \u201cThe question, ‘what am I going to do now’, echoes through their mind and that impacts their ability to heal.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Doctors suggest that finding such a place – as the cockpit –\nis a place where hope exists. Once in the air, Epting explains the basic\ncontrols, and then encourages the kids to fly the plane themselves, using the\nmetaphor that as they take control and fly his plane, they can take charge of\ntheir treatment and overcome their injuries. \u201cWhat seemed like an\ninsurmountable task, is suddenly achievable with a little extra confidence and\nfaith.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Epting cites one example that he will never forget; one that\nhas framed what he does and why he does it, precisely. Epting describes the\nsequence – \u201cAfter some encouragement, she actually takes the controls and\nguides the plane through the sky. She didn’t know she could do it; she did not\nknow she would do it, but by golly, she tried, and she has done it!\u201d Epting\nsays her new appreciation of the possibilities of life and the opportunities\nopen to her, give rise inevitably to hope – that is an essential component of\nall healing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Epting says he has been privileged to see it over and over\nagain. \u201cThey jump out of the plane and yell to their mom or dad or other loved\none – I flew the plane, I flew the plane.” He remembers one particular\ntime when a mom says with part disbelief and part fear, “You did not. You\ncannot fly a plane.” And then the magic moment comes, and she says,\n“Yes I did! Yes I can!” Epting\nsays their life is changed from that moment on, by that realization, by that\nhope, by that magic. \u201cIt\u2019s the courage of truth.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cEvery one of the kids that has flown with me has left the\nairport thinking they can do something they never thought they\u2019d do,\u201d said\nEpting. \u201cThat\u2019s incredibly important. It is in the belief that you can heal and\nlive a normal life again, and I have had the privilege to experience that now\nthousands of times.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Looking back, Epting knew he wanted to be a pilot as early\nas 4 years old. He earned his pilot license in 1983, and since then, has logged\n4,500 hours of flight, all in Piper Cubs, Piper Arrows, and RV-6 and RV-7\naircraft. He travels around the southeast for his work as an environmental lawyer\nand, of course, for fun. He especially enjoys turning kids into new pilots.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Epting is a member of EAA Chapter 1114 in Apex, North\nCarolina. \u201cOver the years Bob has made some important contributions to our\nchapter and sport aviation in general,\u201d said Kent Misegades, member and former\nPresident of the Chapter. \u201cHe advised the chapter on legal issues, pro bono and\nran the pancake breakfasts for many years, a key reason for the chapter’s early\ngrowth.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Current Chapter president, Steele Scott said Epting is a\nchampion for the Chapter and the Young Eagle program. \u201cBob mentored me when I\nfirst arrived in 2010 and led me towards becoming the Breakfast Chairman. Over\nthe past nine years, as an attorney, he has created exceptional and innovative\nlegal approaches to the risks presented by General Aviation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Epting shares his love of aviation with his twin brother, Jim, a retired lieutenant colonel and former executive officer of the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds. \u201cMy brother and I don\u2019t come from a family of aviators, but I\u2019ve always had an instinct for sticks and rudders \u2013 even before I knew what they were,\u201d said Epting. An attorney by trade, Epting has also made a name for himself in the aviation world. In fact, he\u2019s no stranger to receiving awards at Oshkosh. Epting received the Gold Lindy in 2015 for his restored 1946 Piper J3C-65, and in 2001, he received the EAA Young Eagles Humanitarian award.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The award he received this year at Oshkosh recognizes\noutstanding Young Eagles volunteers that have supported the future of aviation\nby going above and beyond the basic Young Eagles flight. Epting said he was truly\nhonored to receive the award from EAA and Phillips 66 this year. \u201cEvery one of\nthe kids I\u2019ve flown is special to me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For more than 25 years, Phillips 66 Aviation has sponsored\nThe EAA Young Eagles, an organization whose sole mission is to introduce and\ninspire kids in the world of aviation by providing youths ages 8 \u2013 17 their\nfirst free ride in an airplane. More than 2 million children have flown through\nthe EAA Young Eagles program with the help of EAA\u2019s network of volunteer pilots\nand ground volunteers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
During the awards banquet at AirVenture, Epting shared his\nstory noting the changes he\u2019s experienced in the life of the kids he\u2019s flown.\nHe received a standing ovation. \u201cAfterwards hundreds of folks crowded around to\nshare similar experiences,\u201d reflects Epting. \u201cYES I DID. YES I CAN – Maybe this\nought to be our bumper sticker!\u201d For Bob Epting, this sums it up \u2013 \u201cI may be\nthe luckiest man alive.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
By Kim J Stevens It\u2019s true. Bob Epting, recipient of the 2019 Phillips 66\u00ae Aviation Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) Young Eagles Leadership Award, has provided a lot of kids their first airplane ride; In fact, through EAA\u2019s Young Eagles program, he\u2019s made 3,150 flights \u2013 nothing to sneeze at. Yet, if you talk to Bob, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":13764,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[53],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13761","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-north-carolina"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Epting-Accepts-Awardedit.png","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13761","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13761"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13761\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13766,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13761\/revisions\/13766"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13764"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13761"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13761"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13761"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}