Best Destinations for Aviation Summer Camp

Many kids dream of flying and being professional pilots. Maybe they even hope to be astronauts someday. If that sounds like your child, then aviation summer camp could be the experience of a lifetime! These camps are located all around the United States. But which ones are the best for your aspiring aviator? We’ve put together a list of camps for you to explore.

6. Destination Aviation Summer Camp – Lakeland, Florida

The Aerospace Center for Excellence on the SUN ‘n FUN Expo Campus offers programs for both day and residential campers. If your child is 11 to 18 years old, he or she can participate in the 5-day program. The classroom portion includes learning about the airplane, including the cockpit, its instruments, and much more. Campers get the opportunity to fly a Piper Cherokee over the east coast of Florida. Campers log flight time, including takeoff and landing.

5. Air Camp, Inc. – Dayton, Ohio

The place where the Wright Brothers invented and perfected heavier-than-air flight welcomes children in grades 4 through 9. If your child loves math and science, this flight camp is the perfect experience.

he aviation summer camp offers two separate programs: one for kids in grades 4 through 6, and another for kids in grades 7 through 9. In the first program, kids will learn about flight history, as well as the science and technology behind aviation and aeronautics. They will get the chance to go to the workplaces of industry STEM professionals for a meet-and-teach. The program for older students is more challenging. Kids attend flight ground school and pilot a plane. They also engage in fire and rescue lessons at Wright Patterson Air Force Base.

4. Aviation Summer Camp – Long Beach, California

For a select group of children ages 9 to 15, this 5-day day camp in Long Beach, California introduces would-be aeronautical engineers to problem-solving and plane design. Kids learn how to design planes by building and flying models.
They take a field trip to Long Beach Airport, meet flight professionals, and even get time with a flight simulator. They even have the opportunity to fly a radio-controlled plane. The camp is limited to twelve students.

3. Military Teen Adventure Camp – Colorado

Open only to children of Military Personnel, this camp accepts children ages 14-18 for a strength and leadership-based weekend course to introduce them to the functions of the Air Force and all branches of military service. Students are housed at the Colorado State University Mountain Campus.

For all major activities, the campers are divided by gender and ability. Hiking, challenge courses, and whitewater rafting are part of the curriculum. A hike to the location of the B-17 crash site is the highlight of the experience.

2. Aerospace Camp Experience – Seattle, Washington

If they’re enthusiastic about STEM, your child will thrive in this unique experiential program at the museum. Campers get to learn about airplanes, and also get a chance to fly in one. They visit a spectacular aviation and aeronautics exhibit, the Destination Moon gallery that features the Apollo 11 Command Module, Columbia. A number of camp programs are available, for students in kindergarten and older.

1. Pali Adventures Aviation Summer Camp – Running Springs, California

Pali Adventures delivers one of the best destinations for aviation summer camp in the United States! In this once-in-a-lifetime experience, your child will learn about aerodynamics and the physics that keep planes in flight. They’ll also study how planes are designed. Who knows? Your young aviation lover might decide they’d be a great flight mechanic. They even get to build their own rocket!

But for those who want to be skybound, the virtual flight simulator allows your child to safely navigate a cockpit, take off from a runway, and even land a plane! With the help of a professional, kids become familiar with actual flight controls, the plane’s dashboard, and all the environmental factors a pilot has to manage to fly smoothly.

The high point of the camp is the flight. Kids get to compare the skills and knowledge they learned earlier in the week as they accompany an instructor pilot aboard a helicopter over the beautiful San Bernardino Mountains. If your child is considering a career in aviation, this thrilling camp experience is the perfect opportunity to find out if this is the right career path for them.

Rounding out the flight education and experience is a full adventure summer camp filled with quality time in a gorgeous natural mountain campus. While the camp is rustic, don’t expect your kids to sleep on the ground. Modern cabins, bunk beds, and residential-style bathrooms make their stay comfortable. Afternoons are filled with activities of their choice. There are more than 70 to choose from. Archery, Zumba, Trapeze or Arts and Crafts, for example.

Evening activities include a dance, a campfire or camp-wide games.

Make Your Choice

As you can see, parents have a number of options for high-quality education at these fun flying camps. Whatever your child loves, there’s a camp for it. The sky’s the limit!

Ready to explore Pali Adventures as the best destination for your young aviators? Enroll today or contact us!