Charting a Course: How EAA Is Elevating Aviation Education

A Legacy in Flight: Inspiring Tomorrow’s Aviators

A pilot and aircraft owner with a lifelong fascination for all things mechanical, Adam R. Scripps found joy in the freedom, precision, and thrill of flight. He believed aviation wasn’t just a personal passion—it was a gateway to imagination, confidence, and possibility.

Championing causes that align with Adam’s passions is core to the Adam R. Scripps Foundation’s mission, and supporting aviation education has emerged as a natural fit. The Foundation’s goal is simple: honor Adam’s love of flying by helping more young people access the kinds of experiences that had shaped and inspired him. That mission found a perfect partner in the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA).

Meeting a Moment—and Expanding a Mission

When EAA approached the Foundation in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, it was seeking more than funding; it was looking for a partner who shared its vision. The organization was navigating a $1.2 million budget shortfall tied to the construction of its new Education Center—the result of global supply chain disruptions, labor shortages, and skyrocketing materials costs. But despite the financial hurdles, EAA had a bold goal: to build a national hub for aviation education that could inspire the next generation of flyers, builders, and dreamers.

For the Foundation, it was more than a construction project—it was a chance to invest in something Adam would have championed himself: a hands-on, high-impact space where young people could discover the magic of aviation.

A Center Built to Inspire

Since opening, the EAA Education Center in Oshkosh, Wisconsin has transformed the way EAA delivers its youth programming. The number of group programs has nearly doubled—from 12 to 21—thanks to the facility’s dedicated space and expanded resources.

The Center now hosts a wide range of programming that aligns perfectly with the Foundation’s goals:

• Girls on the Fly, a seasonal program that brings girls from across the country to explore aviation through hands-on activities.
• After School Club and Homeschool Half Day, which provide accessible opportunities for local youth to engage with aviation concepts.
• GirlVenture Camp, now enhanced to offer deeper, more immersive experiences.
• Teacher Day and professional development sessions that equip educators with aviation-based STEM resources.
• The debut of AviationTech during EAA’s annual AirVenture event—engaging kids in avionics, soldering, and coding.

In fiscal year 2025 alone, these programs served 5,499 children, including 410 youth event participants, 477 scouts, and 265 attendees at flagship events. Since the Center opened, overall youth attendance has doubled—an achievement that speaks directly to the transformative impact of this dedicated space.

AeroEducate: Taking Flight Nationwide

While the Education Center creates a physical hub, AeroEducate has extended EAA’s educational mission online—bringing aviation-themed STEM learning to students, teachers, and parents across the country. For a pilot like Adam, who once tried to install a flight simulator at a local airport to give kids a glimpse of flight, this kind of accessible, scalable platform would have been a dream.

The Foundation’s support has enabled AeroEducate to grow rapidly:

• More than 83,000 total users, including over 75,000 youth participants
• Over 67,000 new accounts created through EAA’s Young Eagles flight experience program
• A broader network of 600 EAA chapters, 4,000 parents, and 2,500 teachers

Students have completed over 15,000 activities and earned more than 1,000 badges on the platform. Beyond the numbers, AeroEducate is nurturing curiosity and career awareness in fields like engineering, piloting, maintenance, and aerospace design.

EAA continues to refine the user experience, enhance chapter support, and improve Young Eagles account activation rates—all with the goal of reaching more kids and lighting that same spark that first drew Adam to the cockpit.

A Shared Belief in the Power of Flight

What makes the relationship between EAA and the Adam R. Scripps Foundation so meaningful is its shared belief: that aviation is more than a field of study—it’s a source of empowerment. Whether it’s a young girl learning to solder for the first time or a student in a rural district discovering what it takes to fly, these moments mirror the same joy and discovery Adam experienced in his own journey.

The Foundation’s investment in EAA is more than a philanthropic gift—it’s an expression of Adam’s spirit. It’s about creating access, fueling passion, and building a future where more young people can look to the sky and see themselves up there.