Online education opens the door to the future, and more people are taking advantage of the Experimental Aircraft Association’s online program, AeroEducate. The number of registered users to the online portal grew from 3,000 in December 2022 to 40,000 as of this month. The portal is designed to be used by children between the ages of 5 and 18, as well as their parents, youth leaders, and teachers.
How It Works
Once registered with AeroEducate, the users are invited to complete 31,000 activities drawn from five aviation careers. This gives the users a chance to explore different facets of aviation through a series of individual, do-it-yourself projects and classroom activities. When the activities are completed, the students earn digital achievement badges that can be printed as certificates of accomplishment.
At the present time there are 22 digital badges available, with plans to add more as the program continues to grow and evolve.
Paul Maloy, EAA director of education, noted the rapid growth in 2023 reflected the program’s improvement and expansion throughout the year.
“The continuous addition of new content in cooperation with our sponsors has reinforced the overall goal of AeroEducate to engage, inspire, and empower young people to see pathways to success in aviation and aerospace,” Maloy said.
AeroEducate has the support of some of the heavy hitters in the aviation world, including United Airlines, Siemens, and Airbus, along with Estes Education, Horizon Hobby, NextGen Aviators, and the U.S. Air Force.
More information on AeroEducate can be found here.
Aviation education has long been part of the EAA’s mission. The organization, based in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, boasts more than 270,000 members and 900 local chapters. Activities range from flying and building aircraft to award-winning restoration of recreational aircraft.
