admin Earlier this month in Oshkosh a new EAA Education Center was opened. It is located at the EAA Aviation Museum’s Eagle Hangar, and with an area totalling 30,000 sq ft of facility, it is designed to further develop aviation education and training. In addition to that, it is the first addition to the EAA Aviation Center in more than 20 years. The project cost $6.2 million and was funded via a dedicated capital campaign and features the Pilot Proficiency Center, a youth education center, and the EAA conference center.
Jack Pelton, the chairman and CEO of EAA, stated that the main goal of EAA is to provide ample opportunities to newcomer pilots. “One of the main mission of EAA is to grow aviation participation by promoting the spirit of aviation, and I think that with the educational and technological advancements that we now have available in this new facility we are close to achieving this goal.”
The Pilot Proficiency Center features an impressive array of tools. It includes 16 Redbird flight simulators that will help bring new pilots into aviation and allow pilots to work on improving their aeronautical decision making skills. The 15,000 sq ft youth education center provides access to all, children, parents, and teachers alike, to interactive and activities based on projects which are designed to inspire the next generation of aviators. It has five hands-on tech labs and four classrooms that can be modified.
The Ray Foundation provides the primary support for the EAA Education Center expansion. Apart from that, David C. Lau Estate and an anonymous donor have also supported this. Additional support came from the Emil Buehler Perpetual Trust, The Brown Family, Hank Menke, Jim Gorman, Tom and Julie Wood Family Foundation, Juan Rodriguez, The JEK Foundation, Global Aerospace, Henry and Louise Timken Foundation, The Ward J. and Joy A. Timken Foundation, William Knighton, Richard VanGrunsven, JT Grainger, Emily Sensenbrenner, John Lee, and Kathleen Lowrance. The month of July saw an influx of additional gifts of support for the center with an estimated cost of around $600,000 from an unnamed sponsor.
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