EAA’s Sport Pilot Academy Breaks Flight Training Barriers

October 12, 2017 - EAA’s Sport Pilot Academy was developed to break down the barriers that traditional flight training sometimes presents, including access to aircraft, scheduling with CFIs, and everyday distractions that can derail successful training. Instead of trying to fit training into a busy schedule, the students of the Sport Pilot Academy spend three weeks focusing on one thing: fulfilling their dream of becoming a pilot.

The schedule, while intense, means Sport Pilot Academy students are able to retain knowledge through repetition and immersion. Having a variety of instructors to work with allows different teaching styles to be matched with different learning styles and then flexed at different stages in the process. In addition to the thrill of training and soloing at Wittman Regional Airport, the heart of general aviation, students have the  opportunity to participate in many special only in Oshkosh experiences. While it would have been great to sit back and celebrate our accomplishments with the first year of the Sport Pilot Academy in 2016 when all four students returned home as newly minted sport pilots, there was no time to rest.

With a waitlist beginning to form, both a spring and a fall session were possible for the 2017 schedule. A special addition to the sophomore year of Sport Pilot Academy was a session in which all four slots would be filled former Young Eagles program participants attending on full-ride scholarships, created from the proceeds of EAA’s annual Gathering of Eagles event during EAA AirVenture Oshkosh. For the four college-aged recipients, attending the Sport Pilot Academy enabled them to become pilots now instead of waiting until they had the funds, giving  them years of additional time to fly.

EAA would like to congratulate the students of the Young Eagles and fall sessions on their accomplishments:

Jakob Brouillette, EAA 833876

Dawson Morgan, EAA 1205669

Edward Kolb, EAA 1107909

Michael Long, EAA 1151394

Kenneth Royle, EAA 1176191

Robert Costello, EAA 9000036

Paul Schulman, EAA 1214684

As we look forward to 2018, there is a continued efforts to grow and mature the program offerings and strategic planning is already taking place, with dates to be announced soon.

 If you are interested in participating in a future Sport Pilot Academy, please e-mail EAASportPilotAcademy@eaa.org for information on future sessions and to be added to the waitlist.