We brought the boys to the fabulous EAA AirVenture Museum when they were quite young. I was very happy to return with them older. I remembered some fascinating exhibits Dear Husband and I enjoyed and I was excited to share them with older boys with more understanding and patience.

I love the WWII hall. It features large plane art, (with many flashy girls oh la la), but the entire wrap around has many detailed displays of how women helped in the war, how families lived on rations, recounted special missions and loads more. I saw a little newspaper clipping of a vegetarian woman who didn’t use her meat ration tokens, and instead fashioned over 400 of them into beaded decoration on her dress.

I also love the SpaceShip One Voyager exhibit which recounts how the first successful civilian spacecraft operated with a movie and a moving replica. Yes, a civilian built spacecraft. How cool is that?

Anyhow, we toured this, the children’s discovery area and more in the museum and then headed outdoors to the Pioneer Airport. Our tram guide told us about the “young eagles” program for the boys, where they get to ride in a plane for free. Dear Husband shrugged and said, “probably with a paying adult.” We checked further and wouldn’t you know it, they actually meant sans adult. They have a program where they take 8-17 year olds up for a free 20 minute instructional flight. Our 8-year-old couldn’t wait to get up there (he just made the cut-off age, remember the birthday?), our 10-year-old not so much.

Neither boy had ever flown before, but they both got instructions, a log book, a flight, and my younger son even got to man the joystick. That was just amazing. Now we log in and they can complete online instruction, again free, and return for a second flight if they choose, also FREE.

The program has been in progress since the early 1990’s and they are close to their 2 millionth young eagle. We are so pleased to have the opportunity to take part! Even our older fella said it was pretty amazing.