More than 100,000 young people have enrolled in the Sporty’s Pilot Shop Learn to Fly Course following their EAA Young Eagles flights, according to the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA). The online course is available for free to Young Eagles as a follow-up to their introductory flight with the program, which aims to introduce young people ages 8 to 17 to aviation by giving them “their first free ride in an airplane” with volunteer member-pilots. As of 2020, 75,000 Young Eagles participants had enrolled in the course.
“The concept to provide Sporty’s online courses at no charge for Young Eagles was developed with input from EAA pilots who had been flying Young Eagles,” EAA said. “Those pilots reported that after their flight, many of the young people wanted to discover more about aviation but lacked access to reliable and professional resources. The goal is to build the next generation of aviators and boost student pilot starts with a group already engaged through the Young Eagles program.”
The Sporty’s Learn to Fly Course, which retails for $279, offers ground school video lessons, FAA test prep and flight training tips. As previously reported by AVweb, EAA Young Eagles celebrated its 30th anniversary over the summer. EAA reports that its volunteers have taken nearly 2.3 million young people on Young Eagles flights to date.
