AirVenture/Young Eagles

[TheGreatFlight]

This is a little bit Young Eagles/Air Academy and a little bit AirVenture, so feel free to move it to the section you think it fits best in.

I just wanted to share that our 14 year old son, who has known since he was 8 that he wanted to be a pilot, had one of the best AirVenture experiences of his life this year. Every year is great, but this year was the best, he says. He's attended Air Academy every year for the past three years (and hopes to become a camp leader, too) and each year, part of our hope and reason for sending him is so that he can have the opportunity to meet up with other kids his age who are interested in aviation - a rarity among their typical groups of friends at school, unfortunately. He's made good friends at camp and always has a blast and learns a lot, but this year something just "clicked" with a group of them and it was almost heart-wrenching for them to be separated at the end of the week. They all agreed that they would make plans to get themselves to Oshkosh this past week so they could experience AirVenture together. Some of them came with other families and some camped with their own families, some carpooled from nearby cities.

This group of teenagers spent most of the week together, meeting up at the gates at 9am - which meant we didn't see a lot of our son (except when he needed cash for lunch, of course!), but it was worth it, as this is exactly what we hoped would happen by sending him to Air Academy.

Together they roamed and explored and met famous pilots, ran into their camp mentors/leaders and watched the daily airshows. They were even invited back over to the Air Academy lodge for lunch one of the days. Every night we got to hear him tell us about his adventures - who he talked with, what new things he learned, what airplanes he saw, what talks/forums he listened in on. He met the Aeroshell Team, Capt. Sullenberger, and many others and to have shared these experiences with his peers gave them a much different feel and deeper meaning than if he had just met them with his parents. Kirby Chambliss took the time to chat with them and shared his stories and left a lasting impression on them all.

We've tried to do everything we can over the years to keep fostering his passion for aviation, which is why we never balk at the cost of camp or flight lessons (and why I only grumble quietly to myself that every family vacation revolves around where the best aviation museums are located. Hint - not on any tropical islands ). Sometimes as they hit those teen years, the acceptance of their peers becomes so important to them that they often let their real passions slip away if they don't have anyone else with those same interests. So, I can't express enough how grateful we are for the opportunities to keep him engaged (and meeting his aviation-loving peers) through Air Academy, AirVenture, Young Eagles and so on.

[martymayes]

My 13 y/o son has attended Air Academy camp for the past 2 yrs. I'm hoping he can go next yr in the 14 y/o program.

[Gently56]

I have to comment here, this was our first time to Oskosh, my grandson (10 yoa) had a magnificent time! Before we went to AV I was worried if there would be enough to keep his attention, man that was WRONG!! He spent every day there he did things multiple times, the people were great and he enjoyed every minute there. He could not be there long enough! Since he is only 10 I had, of course, to be there also, but I even enjoyed it and learned a lot of stuff myself. As a matter of a fact he did join the young eagles and has been to every web site given him by the staff.


As a matter of fact I did not have enought time to see everything I wanted to see! After the Air Venture closed at 3:30 it was off to the flightline to see the airshow! and then the theater in the woods or the fly in theather for the shows or the bands! He absolutly loved the "Blooze Bros" and danced all through the show! (I did not even know he liked to dance!) I actually learned a lot about my grandson that I did not know before. And now he vows to be a pilot and help to build our future CH750!! I really do not know if this whole trip was a blessing or a not!!


Kidventure was great but I still have some comments about the the whole "Oshkosh" trip that I will put to words after I review all the notes and put my thoughts togeather, just from a first timers perspective.


Mike