International Young Eagles Day

History of International Young Eagles Day

Every year, on the second Saturday in June, International Foal Eagle Day encourages young members of the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) to participate in the organization's Young Eagle Program. It is also a day for EAA members to share their passion for aviation with others.

Many children love to fly. Children often like to pretend they can fly. Some of these kids have a dream to fly and actually make it happen. They were able to do this first by building a paper airplane. Other kids love to fly their drones. Some ids also look forward to flying on a plane for the first time. However, one of the greatest flying adventures for a child is to travel on a small plane with a licensed pilot.

Children who love this experience may want to take their dreams a step further by taking flying lessons. In the United States, children can learn to fly an airplane as young as 14 years old. After successfully completing a flight course, a 16-year-old can fly an airplane on his own. The EAA is just one global organization that encourages young people to learn to fly.

EAA was founded in 1953 by veteran pilot Paul Poberezny and other aviation enthusiasts. International organization based in Oshkosh, WI. The EAA currently has more than 1,000 chapters around the world and over 200,000 members. They started the Young Eagles show in 1992. Previous hosts of the Young Eagles show include Chuck Yeager, Harrison Ford, and Jimmy Graham. The first International Foal Eagle Day was celebrated on June 11th, 1994.

How to celebrate International Young Eagles Day

On International Young Eagles Day, EAA chapters around the world help young people ages 8 to 17 discover a love of aviation. To do this, EAA members offer kids free air rides. The kids riding this free ride are called the Young Eagles. To date, the EAA has provided more than 2 million trips for the Young Eagles. The EAA also encourages young people to view the planes on display and ask the flight instructors questions.

Other ways to get involved include:

• Find some flight schools or flight training programs in your area.
• Take your child to an aviation museum or an airshow.
• Read about Mason Andrews, 18 years old as the youngest pilot to fly solo around the world.
• Watch movies about aviation, such as Top Gun, The Aviator, One Six Right, or Sully.

Share International Young Eagles Day on social media by posting a story or photo of your first plane ride with hashtag #InternationalYoungEaglesDay.