By Angela Satterlee
For Charley Dieringer, volunteering at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2026 is a chance to give back to the organization that helped launch his aviation journey.
This year marks Charley’s second AirVenture, but several firsts came with it. He volunteered for the first time with North 40 Flight Operations and also made his first flight into Oshkosh arriving solo in his 1975 Cessna 150 at just 18 years old.
As a member of EAA Chapter 260 in Monee, Illinois, Charley has immersed himself in aviation from an early age. Although his grandfather and other family members shared a love of airplanes, he became the first pilot in his family. Fascinated by planes, trains, and automobiles as a child, that lifelong passion led him to complete his first solo on May 23, 2025, before receiving his private pilot certificate just three days before his 18th birthday — all before graduating high school.
Training out of Bult Field, Charley’s path was accelerated through EAA scholarships. He was selected as a Ray scholar in 2025 before earning the Citation Max Scholarship this year, bringing his scholarship support to $17,000. The awards recognized not only his commitment to flight training but also his leadership within EAA and dedication to inspiring the next generation of aviators.
“It was awesome because I was only flying once a week because that’s all I could afford working part time. And then I got the scholarship, which gave me a huge boost in helping me finish up with my private.”
Today, Charley gives back in nearly every way he can. He serves as mentor for his chapter’s current Ray scholar, coordinates youth outreach activities, hosts an annual movie night, and volunteers as a Young Eagles pilot. Just three days after passing his private pilot checkride, he flew his first Young Eagles mission.
“I wanted to kind of give back to EAA. I’ve gotten so much out of the organization,” he said.
Helping young people discover aviation has become one of Charley’s biggest passions.
“It’s always good to bring the younger generation in and get them involved because there’s so much potential. Whether you want to fly, work on the planes, whatever, design them, build them, whatever it is.”
He’s now working toward his instrument rating before pursuing commercial and flight instructor certificates, with hopes of eventually flying a Boeing 787 Dreamliner. He wants to make a career out of his lifelong passion. But no matter where his aviation career takes him, Charley hopes his own journey encourages other young people to get involved in aviation and discover the same opportunities EAA provided for him.