Applications for Air Academy 2027 Are Now Open!

Applications for Air Academy 2027 Are Now Open!

Going into its 43rd season, Air Academy is EAA's youth summer camp for kids ages 14-17. Kids from all over the world will venture to EAA's headquarters in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, to spend a week immersed in aviation. Campers will have the choice between two camps: Discover Flight and Explore Aviation. Each camp will have a unique focus that will introduce campers to a variety of aviation-related topics and concepts.

Discover Flight

Discover Flight will offer two sessions:

• Discover Session 1 (Ages 14-15) | June 12-17 | $1,350
• Discover Session 2 (Ages 16-17) | June 20-25 | $1,350

This session focuses more on concepts related to flying an aircraft. While the exact program is still being developed, we hope to provide campers with the following activities:

• Flight instruments
• Meteorology
• Simulators
• Accident investigation
• Soldering
• Regulations and airspace
• Airport operations and traffic patterns
• Weight and balance
• Radio communication
• Airport design
• Flight in an aircraft (weather, maintenance, and weight and balance permitting)
• Flight in a helicopter (weather, maintenance, and weight and balance permitting)
• EAA Aviation Museum

*Please note that this is not formal ground school and will only introduce topics.

Explore Aviation

Explore Aviation will offer four sessions:

• Explore Session 1 (Ages 14-15) | June 28-July 3 | $1,350
• Explore Session 2 (Ages 14-15) | July 12-17 | $1,350
• Explore Session 3 (Ages 16-17) | July 20-28 | $1,700
• Explore Session 4 (Ages 16-17) | July 30-August 7 | $1,700

This session focuses more on concepts related to maintenance and manufacturing of an aircraft. While the exact program is still being developed, we hope to provide campers with the following activities:

• Woodworking project
• Sheet metal project
• Composites project
• Redbird & X-Plane simulators
• Accident investigation
• 3D printing
• Sphero robots
• Engine basics
• Flight planning
• Air-compressed rockets
• Welding simulators (Sessions 1 and 2) / TIG welding (Sessions 3 and 4)
• Preflight
• Flight in an aircraft (weather, maintenance, and weight and balance permitting)
• Flight in a helicopter (weather, maintenance, and weight and balance permitting)
• EAA Aviation Museum

*Please note that this is not formal ground school and will only introduce topics.

Chapters may reserve up to three spots in any combination of sessions. Once a chapter has selected the sessions they wish to attend, the $200 deposit can be paid via Young Eagles Credits or credit/debit card. Please ensure you are aware of your chapter's credit balance prior to making the application to prevent delays in the process. Once the reservation request is received, it will be reviewed and the chapter will be notified of its status.

Based upon review of previous camp sessions, please be aware of the following changes taking effect in 2027.

• Chapters are now limited to reserving three spots. This will allow more chapters and families the opportunity to attend camp and reduce the number of open spots that result from cancellations of unfilled spots.
• In response to increasing program supply costs, each camp session has increased by $50.00.
• We have dropped the age limit from 18 down to 17. Any camper that has reached their 18th birthday before or at any point during camp is ineligible to attend.
• Air Academy is making the switch to a new online camp management system called CampDoc. Each camper will be sent the link to join CampDoc upon acceptance into the program. Campers will complete all required paperwork directly through CampDoc as opposed to sending a physical copy.

Once a camper is confirmed, the chapter may elect to cover up to 100% of their tuition expense, as well as travel expenses, with existing Young Eagles Credits. Those requests can be submitted at https://www.eaa.org/YECreditsEAA.org/YECredits.

For more information regarding each camp, the reservation process for chapters, a detailed timeline of deadlines, and any other questions, please visit: EAA Air Academy: Chapter Resources.

You may also reach out to the Air Academy team at AirAcademy@eaa.org.