With her first flight just one year ago, Rebecca Hull has set her sights on commercial aviation

Twelve months ago, Rebecca Hull had never been in an airplane.

Just last week, however, Hull was aboard her first-ever commercial flight on her way to see the world’s largest air show and participate in a weeklong aviation camp in Oshkosh, Wis.

Hull, 15, is preparing to enter her sophomore year at Estacada High School this fall with dreams of becoming a pilot. Those dreams were born at last year’s Young Eagles program put on by the Mt. Hood chapter of the Experimental Aircraft Association.

The program, which returns to Estacada on Saturday, Aug. 11, provides youths age 8-17 an introduction to the world of aviation through a free flight, paid for in full by the plane operator. In the summer of 2011, one of those kids was Hull.

“I had never flown before, so that was my first flight ever,” she said. “It seemed like something new to try and see if I liked it, so since I was given the opportunity, I decided to take it, and I ended up really enjoying it.”

Hull, the daughter of former fire chief Alan Hull, heard about the program through conversations at the fire station. Her interest piqued, Hull, her two step-sisters and her brother all went out to Valley View Airfield in Estacada for their first-ever flight.

“After takeoff they let me fly,” she said. “I flew the entire time until landing, when they took back over.

“It was really new, and a really good feeling. At first it was a little scary, but it was just natural and enjoyable when you can look down at everything and see how organized it all is.”

With praise from the pilot who took her on her first flight, members of the local chapter told her and her father about a summer camp experience that might interest her. The camp, which is in Oshkosh, Wis., features not only a number of classroom experiences, but a trip to the Experimental Aircraft Association AirVenture, the largest annual gathering of planes.

So after just 30 minutes in a plane, Hull was hooked and she applied for the Mt. Hood Chapter’s scholarship, which helps one student pay for camp tuition.

“I thought it would be fun to go across the country and do that,” she said. “I always liked flying, but I had just never gotten the chance.”

So with high praise from the local chapter, Hull was awarded the scholarship and was selected to represent Estacada at the camp. The camp ran July 27 to Aug. 4, with the air show taking up most of the day for the first two days of camp.

Having been only in an experimental aircraft up to that point, Hull boarded her first commercial flight on her way to aviation camp.

“I really liked it and the people were nice, but I didn’t like all the security stuff,” she said. “Commercial flights seemed more stressful, whereas the small flights were more carefree.”

Once in Oshkosh, Hull bounced around the airshow knowing absolutely no one outside of her fellow campers.

“I hadn’t met anyone there, but I like people, I like talking to people and meeting people,” she said.

One obstacle for Hull was that she was the youngest participant in the particular camp she attended, because she had appealed to camp organizers to be included in the 16-18-year-old camp. She was also one of just 12 girls at the camp.

“I think the people were really interesting, and it was fun learning about the differences,” she said. “There were people from all over the country, and some even flew in from the U.K.”

Once the air show was finished, Hull’s day became far more structured and educational. After waking up, the campers had breakfast before their first four-hour classroom session. Once completed, they were served lunch and then they returned to the classroom for their second four-hour class of the day.

After dinner, the campers had a group bonding activity such as making planes or bottle rockets.

For Hull, the idea of classroom work was undaunting, other than the fact that her age made some of the subjects more difficult.

“The math we had to do was a lot harder, and I hadn’t learned it yet,” she said. “But the teachers were great, and they taught me what I needed to know.”

After nearly a week of learning, Hull returned home to Estacada with an enlarged passion for aviation.

“I want to keep exploring the different jobs in aviation,” she said. “I want to fly as many different planes as I can to get a feel for what I like.”

Ultimately, Hull says she would like to become a corporate pilot for businesses and wealthy individuals, but before she does that, she sees herself potentially joining the commercial aviation world.

For Hull, it was an ordinary day last summer that altered her future, an experience the Experimental Aviation Association hopes to give many more kids this year. Saturday's event will feature approximately 8-10 local pilots volunteering, and parents can sign up for a time by emailing Dick Scott at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

The Mt. Hood Chapter of the EAA has flown approximately 4,200 students since the program began. For more information, visit eaa902.org.