International Young Eagles Day – Inspire Youths in Your Community

By David Leiting, EAA Eagles Programs Manager, EAA Lifetime 579157

Thirty-three years and 2.4 million youths flown later, the Young Eagles program continues to be the gold standard for youth aviation programs.

When it comes to the reach, you’d be hard pressed to find an aviation program that touches more lives, with more diverse backgrounds than the EAA Young Eagles program. With 900 EAA chapters, there are Young Eagles opportunities found in every corner of the United States and Canada: from urban Long Beach, California, to the mountains of Show Low, Arizona, to rural farm country in Nebraska, and to the beaches of sunny Florida.

As the local advocate for aviation, your chapter knows best how to positively impact the youths in your community. This support takes all shapes and forms, depending on the needs of the youths and your local community.

For some chapters, that means an event open to the public on a first-come, first-served basis. For others, it may result in a private Young Eagles rally where a specific group of youths is invited to take flight. This includes school groups, Scout groups, church groups, and youth groups such as the Boys & Girls Club or Big Brothers Big Sisters. Regardless of which youths are invited to take part, EAA chapters take full ownership and control of these events, ensuring that every youth in attendance is made aware of the possibilities that exist within the world of aviation.

The Young Eagles flight, for many, serves as a paradigm shift. It can take a mystical dream of flight and turn it into a reality. Despite that dream potentially becoming a reality, there are many steps along the way to the cockpit which are completely unknown to those new to aviation. Yet again, this is where EAA and its members step up to the plate.

The guidance and follow-up opportunities for youths who take a Young Eagles flight are immense. For starters, the flight will unlock the Young Eagles Flight Plan, which is designed to jump-start a youth’s flight training.

As a refresher, here are the benefits of the Young Eagles Flight Plan:

• Free EAA student membership and enrollment into EAA AeroEducate
• Free access to the Sporty’s Learn to Fly Course ($299 value)
• Ability to earn a flight lesson voucher – redeemable at any flight school or flying club ($160 value)
• Reimbursement after passing the FAA Knowledge Exam ($175 value)
• Elevated opportunity for EAA flight training scholarships, including the Ray Aviation Scholarship

Outside the confines of the structured Young Eagles Flight Plan, there is also a plethora of mentorship and support that can be found through the support of your local chapter.

Parents who are new to aviation often struggle to determine the correct next steps for their kids bitten by the aviation bug. When should they start ground school? How does flight training work? How much will it cost? How can my child become a professional pilot? Are there scholarships available? How can my youth stay involved with aviation, before they begin flight lessons?

Your chapter can play a pivotal role in helping parents answer these questions. Let’s face it, aviation can be an intimidating world for a newcomer. All the acronyms, required exams, and more – providing a welcoming environment that can support these flight training first steps not only helps these youths get started, but it also serves as an opportunity to grow involvement in your chapter. These youths and their parents are the perfect candidates to join your chapter.

With the evolution of EAA AeroEducate, your chapter also has dozens of free resources at your fingertips. Through this online portal, your chapter has access to hands-on activities, educational content, and general career guidance for these youths and their families. Be sure to check out all these free resources at AeroEducate.org.

EAA’s International Young Eagles Day is right around the corner. Scheduled for Saturday, June 14, this is the perfect opportunity for your chapter to double down on the mission and grow your chapter’s involvement in the Young Eagles program.

Have questions about Young Eagles? We are always happy to help! Send us an email at YEagles@eaa.org.