McKinley Siegfried (California)

Feb 2011 McKinley Siegfried (California)

McKinley sent this update on how she’s doing at the ripe old age of 19! I just happened to be wondering down the right row of airplanes when McKinley taxied up at Oshkosh last year. She was in her beautiful Texas Sport Cub and I was tickled to meet this enthusiastic little lady!! McKinley is based at (KPAO) Palo Alto Airport, Palo Alto, California.

“I’m 19 now and have been flying since I was 14. I fly a Cub that I built with my dad when I was 16. I have over 250 hours and have flown that Cub to Oshkosh for the past three years. I’m relatively involved with the EAA and try to advocate the Young Eagles program.”

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February 24, 2010
Meet high school senior and the youngest tailwheel pilot on this website, McKinley Siegfried.
McKinley’s from Palo Alto, California and comes from a family of fliers; her father, aunt, uncles and grandparents are all pilots and so it’s no mystery McKinley was going to fly.  She soloed a Schweizer 2-33 on her 14th birthday and you guessed it, soloed her grandfather’s/uncle’s Piper Pacer on her 16th birthday. And if that’s not enough cool for one day, her parents gave her an airplane too.  Well, actually, there’s more to the story than a 16 year old kido getting her very own airplane; the real story is it was an American Legend Aircraft  Texas Sport kit and she had to build it.  I love that part!  Of course, she had lots of help from her dad and the rest of the family but what a great opportunity to learn and accomplish something truly significant.

McKinley designed the paint scheme and the N number 416MS is code for “4 my 16th birthday” and M S are her initials.

Not too shabby panel; ILS Glide Slope, Dynon FlightDEK-D 180 full electronic flight information system & engine monitoring system, traditional round altimeter, needle, ball & airspeed, and a Garmin GNS 430 with full ILS and wide area augmentation system.

Notice the “Built by McKinley” painted on her door.