Camp Provides Opportunities For Teen Aviation Enthusiasts

The EAA has confirmed that registration for their 2025 Air Academy will be opening on September 3rd. This year, the organization has narrowed its focus to providing more opportunities for 14 to 18-year-olds.

The EAA Air Academy is the longest-running youth aviation residence camp in the world. The idea surfaced in 1983, when the then Education Director Chuck Larsen was brainstorming with former Museum Director Ralph Bufano on how to reach a younger audience. They decided that the best idea would be to create an overnight camp for children to interact with aircraft. They opened the Academy just a year later.

“It’s just fun to see the excitement, but also the tears at the end of the program when the kids leave,” explained camp director Scott Cameron. “It’s not tears of sadness or anything, but because they’ve made such quality friendships with colleagues, fellow campers, and we did hit a heartstring with them. To me, that’s what’s important. But we’re also carrying out EAA’s mission in expanding aviation for young people."

Until last year, the camp was divided into sessions for ages 12-18. They had a Young Eagles camp for 12 and 13-year-olds, a Basic Camp for those aged 14 and 15, and an Advanced Camp for 16 to 18-year-olds. However, the Air Academy wait list has only gotten longer each year.

Paul Maloy, EAA Director of Education said: “Our emphasis on the 14-to-18-year-old group allows us to bring more of them into the camp… while also offering a schedule that focuses on discovery and fun.”

The 2025 EAA Air Academy, hosted at their Lodge in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, will have six sessions from June 12 to August 2. Their 2 new Explore Aviation Camp sessions replace the previous Basic and Advanced sessions and will include flight simulators, interactive projects, and exploratory flights. They also have the Discover Flight Camp with museum tours, ground-school lessons, team-building activities, and challenges.

The Discover Flight Camp will begin its annual rotation with the Navigating Horizons Camp next year. This new session will focus on exploring career opportunities in the industry.

FMI: www.eaa.org