The Hope of the Future

A new Youth Welcome Center is the latest addition to an expanding list of activities by which young people stand to be contemporaneously educated and entertained at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2023. The 70th iteration of the Experimental Aircraft Association’s famed fly-in convention—the largest of its kind in the wide world—will span the week of 24 through 30 July at Oshkosh, Wisconsin’s Wittman Regional Airport (OSH).

EAA director of education Paul Maloy stated: “Nearly all of us involved in aviation today were inspired at some point in our younger years. When we began welcoming those 18-and-under at no charge beginning in 2021, we immediately noticed an increase in the number of families at AirVenture. With that, we wanted to create a way to help them find all the available activities on grounds suitable for various age groups.”

In addition to its primary function of serving as a guidepost for all AirVenture youth activities, the Youth Welcome Center—which is located at the busy Four Corners intersection west of Boeing Plaza—provides important family facilities and information ranging from restrooms and shade to ATMs and changing/nursing stations.

Activities at the Center include an F-100 Super Sabre cockpit photo opportunity, a Remote Control (RC) airplane spotter activity, and a place to mark visitors’ hometowns. The Center will also furnish information germane to EAA’s many year-round youth education programs.

Additional family-friendly locations on the AirVenture grounds include:

KidVenture: Located at the EAA Aviation Museum’s Pioneer Airport, the KidVenture area allows young people to explore aviation from varied perspectives. Visitors to the attraction will be afforded opportunity to learn to fly a radio-controlled airplane, experience flight simulators, and discover fascinating aspects of aviation history. KidVenture highlights include Airframe & Powerplant (A&P) booths at which youths may learn basic building skills; a simulated B-25 flight experience; and life-size replicas of the Mercury 7 and Gemini 7 space capsules.

AeroEducate Center:  Located at the south entrance to Aviation Gateway Park just northwest of the FAA Control Tower, the AeroEducate Center features activities for middle-and-high-school youth. In addition to EAA AeroEducate hands-on projects, the attraction features NASA-supported activities; challenges from AeroEducate partners Airbus, United Airlines, and Siemens Technology; plus presentations pertaining to opportunities currently available in the aviation and aerospace sectors.

Flight Simulators: Flight simulators and other activities are available on both the AirVenture grounds’ Warbirds of America and Vintage Aircraft Association areas.

What’s more, numerous AirVenture exhibitors are slated to feature unique youth-focused displays and activities.

FMI: www.eaa.org