Officials with the Experimental Aircraft Association’s Young Eagles program have a goal: They want the program to hit 2.5 million Young Eagles flown by EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2026 in July.
And they are close to achieving Mission 2.5.
“As of early March, we are within 25,000 Young Eagles of reaching 2.5 million Young Eagles flown,” said David Leiting, Young Eagles Program Manager. “This puts us right on target to complete Mission 2.5 in the final lead-up to AirVenture.”
He acknowledges that the spring and early summer of 2025 were “about as rough as it gets when it comes to canceled Young Eagles events due to weather,” he said, noting there were nearly double the number of canceled events in June 2025 as compared to normal years.
But that changed in the fall.
“As Young Eagles volunteers often do, you all rose to the occasion,” he said in a March 9, 2026, message to pilots. “August through November were extremely active months for Young Eagles. While these months didn’t completely offset the slow spring/summer, it put EAA back on track to accomplish Mission 2.5.”
To reach the 2.5 million goal, the organization is offering two special incentives:
- Pilot the Mission: EAA Chapters are encouraged to recruit new volunteer Young Eagles pilots. For every first-time Young Eagles pilot, the sponsoring chapter will earn $25 in additional Young Eagles Credits.
- Fly 25 for 2.5: Volunteer pilots who fly 25 or more Young Eagles through July 31, 2026, will earn a commemorative cap courtesy of Sporty’s.
Since the first Young Eagles flights at AirVenture 1992, through September 2025, when Mission 2.5 took off, there had been 2,453,776 Young Eagles flown in aircraft ranging from hot air balloons to corporate jets on every continent except Antarctica, according to EAA officials.
More than 50,000 pilots have given Young Eagles flights, they added.
For more information: EAA.org
I’m an EAA member and have been flying young eagles for 16 years now.
I’ve flown 17 so far this year, so I should fly the 25 YE by April, since I fly with 2 EAA chapters here in Northern California, EAA1541 and 1593.
Most of the young folks are excited to fly in a small aircraft. Some not so excited initially.
after take off, I explain and demonstrate that the aircraft always wants to fly , and will continue without pilot input [ for a while]…..not like a car where the driver is steering, keeping it in the lane continuously.