Everyone attending EAA AirVenture is invited to join us to celebrate our newest pilots when they receive their pilot wings on Tuesday, July 21st at 10 AM at Theater In The Woods. To make it even more special, 2026 marks Able Flight’s 20th anniversary!
Those who have been to an Able Flight Wings Pinning Ceremony in the past have described it as “the best thing I did at AirVenture” and “the most touching event you can imagine” as people who face physical challenges that may have them in a wheelchair, or using a prosthetic leg, are honored as a newly-licensed pilot. This year’s pilots join over 100 Able Flight pilots who have experienced this unique moment.
For almost two months the Able Flight “Class of 2026” has been at our demanding and intensive training program at Southern Illinois University. They have flown every day the weather allows, often twice a day in the sometimes extreme heat of this summer. By the time they are on stage the morning of July 21st in Oshkosh, they each will have logged approximately 45 hours, and that followed months of ground school.
Thanks to the generous support of donors and sponsors, Able Flight at SIU provides full-ride scholarships in the only program of its kind in the United States. Be there as family, friends, sponsors and special guests honor the Class of 2026 as they receive their wings.