Sporty’s Free Course Boosts Effort To Reach 2.5M Youth

Sporty’s is expanding its support of the Experimental Aircraft Association Young Eagles program by continuing to provide free access to its Learn to Fly Course, a move aimed at helping EAA reach its Mission 2.5 goal of flying 2.5 million youths by the opening of EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2026.

EAA Young Eagles program manager David Leiting said Sporty’s free Learn to Fly access offers tangible next steps for motivated youth, including paths to scholarship eligibility. Combining free introductory flights with educational resources directly advances Mission 2.5 and moves the program closer to its target.

Since its launch in 1992, the Young Eagles program's volunteer pilots have given free introductory flights to kids ages 8 to 17, inspiring youngsters to experience aviation. Sporty’s has supported that mission for more than 15 years, offering complimentary access to its Learn to Fly Course to every Young Eagle who becomes an EAA student member. The online course, valued at $299, provides a structured educational step after a first flight, and more than 190,000 Young Eagles have registered for it since the initiative began in 2009.

“Supporting Young Eagles isn’t just something we talk about—it’s something we actively do,” said John Zimmerman, Sporty’s president and CEO. At its home airport in Batavia, Ohio, Sporty’s pilots volunteered across six rallies in 2025, flying 48 Young Eagles, and are aiming to fly more than 84 youth in 2026.