Growing The Foundation's Impact

This year is our 70th anniversary — EAA has been a thriving association since our founding in 1953.
We created the foundation several years later in 1962 as the philanthropic arm of EAA in order to put donor dollars to work supporting various programs to accomplish our mission.

One program that is core to our mission is Young Eagles. This program exists because of the generous support from people giving both their time and their money. Now in its 30th year, Young Eagles pilots have flown more than 2.3 million youths for their first flight experience. Volunteers — on the ground and in the air — are the heart and soul of the program, providing their time, airplanes, and fuel to make these experiences come alive for young people. The profound impact of this program is best captured in the countless success stories I hear about people pursuing aviation in all professions — pilots, engineers, entrepreneurs, mechanics, the list goes on — all because they were inspired by that first flight.

Last year, we introduced AeroEducate, which is a natural next step after a Young Eagles flight. The online portal offers young people, along with their parents and their teachers, access to educational programs that help them expand their aviation knowledge and learn more about potential aviation careers — all on their computer, in their own homes. Because this program is supported by the Foundation, we are able to offer it free of charge, and enrollment has really taken off.
In July 2022, we celebrated the opening of the EAA Education Center. The new facility features a Youth Education and Pilot Proficiency Center that delivers world-class, hands-on education in a state-of-the-art facility. We are excited about the year-round opportunities we can offer within this facility to address youth education and aviation safety.

Thank you to the many generous donors who have supported these programs, and so many more throughout EAA. Your support is a testament to the results and impact we are achieving.

Now, it’s time to accelerate the growth of our program offering significantly, provide greater access, and expand the reach of EAA’s mission to grow participation in aviation, both in Oshkosh and through our chapters around the world. We can only do this with the continued generosity of our donors, which to date have been incredible in being able to help us get to where we are.

We hope that with the results we’ve delivered, we have earned your confidence and that you are excited to continue to support us as we grow.

It could not be done without you. I am very grateful and thoroughly humbled by all of your support. As you can see from this annual report, we are on track and delivering on our mission. Thank you.

Jack J. Pelton

CEO and Chairman of the Board, Experimental Aircraft Association<