Chapter Activities at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2026

May 2026 — We are two months away from the start of EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2026! Now is the time to start making plans to represent your EAA chapter or squadron and take part in the many chapter activities happening in Oshkosh this year. Below are key deadlines, opportunities, and events you won’t want to miss.

Upcoming Deadlines

Host a Chapter Pancake Breakfast

If your chapter is interested in hosting a pancake breakfast at the Chapters Pavilion during AirVenture, then there is still time for your chapter to sign up. However, the deadline is quickly approaching! This would be a great fundraising opportunity for your chapter, which will be able to keep the proceeds from the breakfast it hosts.

The deadline for your chapter to apply is May 29, 2026. Chapters will be notified on June 5, 2026, if they are selected to host. Learn More

Do you have any exceptional and highly dedicated volunteers at your chapter? We encourage you to nominate them for one of our volunteer achievement awards! There are several awards for chapter volunteers and Young Eagles volunteers, as well as the Tony Bingelis Award for EAA Technical Counselors and the Spirit of Flight Award for EAA Flight Advisors.

Don’t miss this opportunity to recognize your volunteers! All award nominations are due by May 31, 2026. Learn More

The registration period is open to sign up if your chapter members want to camp together in Camp Scholler. The deadline to register for chapter group camping is June 12, 2026. EAA staffers and volunteers will stake out your camp site as close to your requested site(s) as possible, and your chapter will be notified of its staked-out location on July 10, 2026.

Chapter Group Camping Updates

There are some changes to Chapter Group Camping for 2026 to allow your chapter additional time to organize, lock in your participants, and eliminate the competitive nature of the registration process. If you are not familiar with the chapter camping process, then you can read about it online at EAA.org/ChapterCamping to learn more.

• There is no advantage to being the first chapter to register for camping, nor the first to pay. Chapters will be staked out as close to their desired location as possible.
• The cost is $378 per site, nonrefundable, nontransferable to others, one-time payment only. We can only accept a single payment from the chapter for all chapter camping participants.
• The chapter camping registration form has been updated to be more interactive and straightforward.

When registering, please make sure your participants’ information is complete and correct at the time of submission. The information you are providing directly impacts the Camp Scholler staff’s ability to print credentials and allow your campsite(s) to be accurately staked out.

Our staff understands that payment collection over the phone for camping has been challenging in the past. In 2026, we are partnering with the EAA Membership team to make it easier to reach EAA HQ staff to process credit card payments during regular business hours.

Once you arrive in Oshkosh, you and your fellow chapter members will have many opportunities to engage with other chapter leaders and members, learn more about chapters, and meet the EAA Chapters and Young Eagles staff.

Stop by the home of Chapters and Young Eagles at AirVenture to represent your chapter and to learn more about chapters and the programs and activities they offer. The EAA Chapters staff and a team of dedicated volunteers will be able to answer your questions and provide advice and guidance. You can also test your Cleco-fastening skills by participating in the World’s Fastest Clecoer contest!

The Blue Barn will be open Monday, July 20, through Saturday, July 25, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day, and on Sunday, July 26, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Learn More

Do you want to learn what makes chapters successful? Or how to start a new chapter? Perhaps you want to introduce new activities or learn what makes a good newsletter or website. We will have 20 forums at the Blue Barn throughout AirVenture during mornings and early afternoons. Stop by to attend any of these forums during the week!

Is your chapter trying to acquire 501(c)(3) charitable status, or wondering how to handle donations, contributions, or tax-related issues as a nonprofit organization? EAA Lifetime member and tax attorney Patti Arthur will be available at the Blue Barn for one-on-one consultations.

Visit the Chapters Pavilion in Camp Scholler for a freshly cooked pancake breakfast from EAA chapter hosts. You will be directly supporting the host chapters, which will receive the proceeds from the meals.

The chapter pancake breakfasts will take place from Saturday, July 18, through Saturday, July 25, from 6 a.m. to 12 p.m. each day.

Join the EAA Chapters staff and other chapter leaders at the Chapters Pavilion in Camp Scholler on Sunday, July 19, at 5 p.m. for a corn roast to kick off the week of AirVenture! Preregistration required to attend.

All Ray scholars and current scholarship coordinators from EAA chapters are invited to attend this corn roast on Monday, July 20, at 5 p.m. to celebrate their accomplishments in the EAA Ray Aviation Scholarship. This event is invite-only: scholars (both completed and in-progress) and current coordinators will be invited via email.

Visit the Brown Arch by the AirVenture flightline for a mass photo of chapter leaders and members. All chapter leaders and members are invited! Wear your chapter apparel and bring your chapter’s banner!

This photo will take place on Tuesday, July 21, at 9 a.m.

Young Eagles volunteers can attend this breakfast on Tuesday, July 21, at 7:30 a.m. to celebrate the successes of the EAA Young Eagles program and learn updates on the program. This event is invite-only: volunteers will be invited via email.

Young Eagles volunteers can attend this dinner on Tuesday, July 21, at 5 p.m. in the Founders’ Wing of the EAA Aviation Museum. This dinner will celebrate our volunteers and see the presentation of the Young Eagles volunteer awards. This event is invite-only: volunteers will be invited via email.

Join the EAA staff on Saturday, July 25, from 8 to 10 a.m. in the Founders’ Wing of the EAA Aviation Museum to help us recognize our chapter leaders and present this year’s chapter volunteer awards. There is limited seating for this event and tickets are required.

We still have many volunteer opportunities for you at AirVenture if you would like to help the EAA Chapters and Young Eagles staff before, during, and after the event. You can help out at the Blue Barn, Chapters Pavilion, and Youth Welcome Center, and you can assist us with staking out chapter campsites before AirVenture.

Our volunteer registration is open until July 5, 2026.

We are looking forward to seeing you in Oshkosh this summer! To learn more about chapter activities at AirVenture, visit EAA.org/ChaptersAtAirVenture.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact the EAA Chapters Office by phone at 800-564-6322 or by email at chapters@eaa.org.