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EAA has announced that its Young Eagles program has provided flight experiences for over 50,000 young people from 4,250 volunteer EAA-member pilots between October 2024 and October 2025. Of the volunteer pilots, 970 of them provided a flight for the program for the first time this year. A total of 465 young eagles passed FAA written exams and an additional 200 earned a free flight lesson voucher for completing the first three volumes of the Sporty's Learn to Fly Course.
The Young Eagles program is claimed to be the largest youth aviation education program ever created. It is considered the foundation for aviation education resources like AeroEducate, Sporty's Learn-To-Fly course, Young Eagles Connect and the EAA Air Academy.
"Our network of Young Eagles pilots, ground volunteers, and chapter coordinators who volunteer their time to share the magic of flight truly are the backbone of the program," said David Leiting, EAA Eagles Program Manager. "We are always looking to expand and strengthen this network as we approach the milestone of 2.5 million Young Eagles flights in 2026."
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The program set a goal to reach 2.5 million Young Eagles flown by EAA 2026 AirVenture, which was announced in October. Since it started in 1992, more than 2.4 million young eagles have received free introductory flights. EAA is offering recognition for Young Eagles pilots who join the "25 for 2.5" campaign. Additionally, Pilots that fly 25 or more will receive a limited-edition commemorative cap as a thank you. EAA chapters that participate and assist in recruiting new pilots will be eligible for extra Young Eagles credits for more resources for Young Eagles rallies or for tuition fees for the EAA Air Academy residence camp.