While the U.S. population has been on a steady and strong increase for decades, the pilot population has slowly been declining as the large number of amazing aviators that came out of the World War II and the Vietnam War are aging. But with the emergence of new young pilot groups there is hope for a new generation of avid aviators.
One organization that is working to grow the pilot population is Millennial Wings in Florida. As a chapter of the Florida Aero Club, Millennial Wings includes aviators in the age range of 18 to 25. The Millennial Wings chapter was accepted into the Florida Aero Club on June 12 and already has nearly 900 followers on Instagram. Based in Fort Lauderdale, the group organizes fly-outs every month, involving day trips and weekend camping trips. While the group is currently limited to the Florida area, Millennial Wings hopes to grow into a national organization.
A number of members from the Millennial Wings group attended AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, where another group called the Young Pilots Association was formed. This budding organization is based in San Jose, California and includes aviation enthusiasts aged 18 through 30. The organization's founder, McKinley Siegfried, was set up at the EAA Pathways pavilion on the AirVenture campus where games, raffles, a photo booth and more aimed to bring in young aviators.
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