Our History

With their love of aviation, Dan & Steve enlisted other pilots and expanded their program to anyone ages 12-18.

In 1997, Steve Wathen and Dan Kiser founded the Youth Aviation Adventure Program (YAA) in Columbus, Ohio as a way to help Steve’s son and other scouts from their troop earn their Boy Scout Aviation Merit Badges. The two men enjoyed sharing their love of aviation with the boys so much they began recruiting scouts from other nearby troops and offering their Aviation Merit Badge program twice a year. As the program became more popular, Dan and Steve enlisted other pilots and aviation enthusiasts as volunteers to expand and upgrade the content of the program, and it has since expanded to include Girl Scouts, youth from other organizations, and anyone from the ages of 12-18 with an interest in aviation.

Our Programs

YAA has developed this signature program as a modular, inexpensive, repeatable system that can be transplanted and replicated almost anywhere. Many programs have been implemented with immediate success. Following are some of the activities that our various squadrons across the nation offer at their YAA events:

Aerodynamics

What makes an airplane fly?

What are the four forces that act on an airplane, and how do they interact?

Airport Operations

How does an airport operate?

Learn about the various markings and signs found in the airport environment and learn some of the language that air traffic controllers use.

Aviation Heavy Equipment

Learn about airport emergency workers or military flight or balloon flight! Different YAA Squadrons invite different special guests to share their stories.

Careers in Aviation

Learn about some of the large variety of careers available in aviation. It’s not all about being a pilot!

Flight Simulator

Use your knowledge of aviation to “fly” aircraft using computer based flight simulators.

FPG-9

Build and fly a glider using a foam plate. See for yourself how various forces act on an aircraft in flight.

GPS

How does GPS work?

How does it help a pilot navigate?

Homebuilt Kit Aircraft

Did you know that some people build their own airplanes?

Learn about what it takes and why someone might want to do it.

Instrument Panel

Learn what the instruments in the cockpit are used for and why they are necessary.

Navigation & Charts

Learn about aviation navigation and make your own airport runway approach diagram.

Pre-Flight

How do we determine an aircraft is safe to fly?

What is the pilot looking for when performing a pre-flight inspection? Discover how to pre-flight an aircraft using an actual plane.

PowerPlant

How does an aircraft engine work?

Discover the difference between a piston engine and a jet engine and how an engine helps an aircraft stay aloft.

Aviation In-the-Know

How much do you know about aviation?

Challenge yourself and each other while playing this game show-like activity that covers almost all aspects of aviation.

Our Board Members

Steve Wathen
Steve Wathen
Bill Grawe
Bill Grawe
Christine Murakami
Christine Murakami
Greg Codispoti
Greg Codispoti
Leonard Mack
Leonard Mack
Melanie Dickman
Melanie Dickman
Robert Banasik
Robert Banasik
Ron Lime
Ron Lime
Tim Beach
Tim Beach