30 Years of Young Eagles in the Books

January 2024

Total Young Eagles Flown: 2,356,895 — as of January 3, 2023

2023 was a banner year for the EAA Young Eagles program, and it is all thanks to our tremendous volunteers! There has been an abundance of success stories of Young Eagles going on to pursue a future in aviation, and several volunteer pilots met incredible milestones such as 1,000, 2,000, and even 3,000 total Young Eagles flown.

One of the most exciting notes I can share is that 2023 has the potential be the strongest year for Young Eagles activity since 2015. There are still plenty of waivers/registration forms to be entered, but we are eagerly awaiting the final numbers. Through the first 10 months of 2023, more Young Eagles have been flown than in all of 2022.

Annual Young Eagles Flight Activity

• 2019 — 59,016
• 2020 — 8,006
• 2021 — 35,590
• 2022 — 53,776
• 2023 — 57,700+ YTD

The Young Eagles 30 for 30 challenge was a highlight of the first half of 2023. 477 volunteer pilots met the challenge of flying 30 Young Eagles in celebration of the Young Eagles 30th anniversary!

From January 1 to July 31, 2023, EAA offered double Young Eagles Credits to encourage more flight activity during the 30th anniversary celebration. I am thrilled to share that during that period, nearly $350,000 of Young Eagles Credits were earned!

As we launch into 2024, there is plenty to look forward to.

• Young Eagles online registration system rebuild
• Numerous Young Eagles webinars
• International Young Eagles Day is scheduled for June 8, 2024
• Emphasizing the importance of the Young Eagles Flight Plan, including potential updates

Look for a deep dive into a few of these updates in the January 2024 Young Eagles newsletter. 

hope you had a wonderful holiday season, and you found time to celebrate all that was accomplished in the past 12 months! As always, thank you for the unwavering support of the Young Eagles program.

Tailwinds,
David Leiting, EAA Lifetime 579157
Eagles Program Manager