EAA membership benefits

Jim K

Jim K

360 For Spacing
Management Council Member
PoA Supporter
Joined
Mar 31, 2019
Messages
8,139
Location
Limbo
Display Name
Richard Digits
Home Airfield
KCMI
I mentioned that we went to the US Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville. What i didn't mention is that my EAA membership saved me $100 there, which is more than what the annual membership costs.

EAA's museum is a member of the "Association of Science and Technology Centers" or ASTC, in which membership in one counts as membership at any other. All EAA members are museum members.

The USSRC gives two free adult tickets and two free kids tickets to members. Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry is a member and hundreds more. https://www.astc.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Compact-Lists-6pt-Font.pdf

I'd be an EAA member regardless, but this benefit is really pretty awesome, even if you don't own an airplane (insurance discounts), camp at or attend Airventure, or enjoy the magazine.
 
EAA reimburses our local chapter for Young Eagles flights (no it isn't a great amount) and they allow deductions for fuel costs (although I don't know of anyone that takes advantage of it). We are also covered with insurance for Young Eagle rallies (praying we never need it).

Most of the pilots in our local EAA chapter are flying certified GA planes. With that, as an experimental aircraft builder, I sure do get a lot of the builder questions from parents and other visitors.

The secret of success is belonging to, and being an active part of the EAA chapter. We recently had a couple of presentations (good for the winter when the weather prohibits flying) that were very basic for the younger of the Eagles that helped them understand aircraft surfaces and how they work together to control the airplane in flight. We even set up a simulator that they could play on.
 
I think there is a limitation on how close the museum is to where you live, or at least there used to be. The museum had to be a certain distance away. This prevented people joining EAA for $50 when a yearly membership to the local museum would have cost more. Living in CT I could take my daughter to the Boston museum of science with the benefit but not the science museum in Hartford.
 
kmacht said:
I think there is a limitation on how close the museum is to where you live, or at least there used to be. The museum had to be a certain distance away. This prevented people joining EAA for $50 when a yearly membership to the local museum would have cost more. Living in CT I could take my daughter to the Boston museum of science with the benefit but not the science museum in Hartford.
Click to expand...
Yes, I think that's right. I think it's 60 miles.
 
schmookeeg said:
That actually makes me want an EAA lifetime membership. I love buy-once-cry-once things like that and I go to a lot of museums
Click to expand...
I almost did it last year, partly for the lifetime member "oasis" at osh. I avoid lifetime memberships in case the org goes to **** (see: nra, aopa), but I think I will next time I have the cash laying around.
 
Jim K said:
All EAA members are museum members.
Click to expand...
Do you need to show the EAA membership card? I misplaced mine.

Thanks for sharing this with us.

Jim K said:
I avoid lifetime memberships in case the org goes to **** (see: nra, aopa)
Click to expand...
I did the math - forgot the exact number, but (besides the bragging rights) it made no sense unless joining no later than mid-20s, age-wise.
 
AV8R_87 said:
I did the math - forgot the exact number, but (besides the bragging rights) it made no sense unless joining no later than mid-20s, age-wise.
Click to expand...
I suppose it depends on whether you're trying to get a deal or support the organization...

In any case, economically, it's 20 years to break even. So mid-20s would have you money ahead already in your mid-40's.

For me, I wanted the lifetime member jacket so I could pick up chicks.
 
AV8R_87 said:
Do you need to show the EAA membership card? I misplaced mine.

Thanks for sharing this with us.


I did the math - forgot the exact number, but (besides the bragging rights) it made no sense unless joining no later than mid-20s, age-wise.
Click to expand...
I'm sure you're supposed to, but at least at this place, I just told the kid that I was an eaa member, and they are an astc member, and he just took my word for it. I'm sure eaa would send you a new card if you asked; I've found them to be very friendly and helpful when I've needed something.

On the lifetime... did you account for the inevitable dues increases? Otoh, I suppose that is canceled out by the opportunity cost of giving up the money now. It's about a 20 year breakeven...I hope to be flying at least that long. "Free" water and snacks in an air conditioned building is worth something too, if you're an oshkosh attendee. Oh, and don't forget the plaque and old-man jacket :biggrin:
 
Last edited:
Contrast the PoA threads about AOPA with posts like this one about EAA. Not to mention posts about Oshkosh, SnF, and the entire EAB forum. Pretty clear which organization is more connected to membership and making a meaningful impact on GA pilots.
 
I’m an EAA Lifetime Member and considering becoming a EAA Vintage Lifetime Member as well.

I dropped AOPA years ago when it started feeling like my entire membership fee was spent on mailing me letters asking for more money.
 
The last time I took a Knowledge Test I got a discount for being an EAA member. I think it was something like $10. The website is down now so I can’t check if it still applies.
Our chapter flew 76 Young Eagles last year and have $380 to spend on supplies. Plus I got anther hat for flying 50 Young Eagles.
 
L
AV8R_87 said:
Do you need to show the EAA membership card? I misplaced mine.
Click to expand...
You can print them from the website. I couldn’t find mine before leaving for Oshkosh, but a crappy inkjet printed paper copy worked fine.
 
172andyou said:
90 miles according to the link. I had no idea this was a thing. Thanks for the heads up.
Click to expand...
Interesting. We've used this benefit extensively, including on places within 90 miles, and nobody ever batted an eye.

It's definitely a great perk to being an EAA member. I upgraded to a family membership when OSH20 got cancelled, and the boys are very happy to have their own cards.

AV8R_87 said:
Do you need to show the EAA membership card? I misplaced mine.
Click to expand...
If you log into the EAA web site, you can show your membership card on your phone's screen and that's been good enough any time I didn't have mine with me.

Ed Haywood said:
Contrast the PoA threads about AOPA with posts like this one about EAA. Not to mention posts about Oshkosh, SnF, and the entire EAB forum. Pretty clear which organization is more connected to membership and making a meaningful impact on GA pilots.
Click to expand...
My EAA membership has absolutely paid for itself.

When I learned to fly 23 years ago, my AOPA membership did as well. Recently, I went to check something on AOPA's site and found my membership had lapsed and I didn't even notice - That told me all I needed to know about its current value.
 
I've used the EAA discount on car rentals. Saved me quite a bit of money in the past.
 
flyingcheesehead said:
If you log into the EAA web site, you can show your membership card on your phone's screen and that's been good enough any time I didn't have mine with me.
Click to expand...

Don’t get caught like I did. Take a screen shot if using it at Osh. Anywhere near the food vendors the cell service is glacial at best.
 
AV8R_87 said:
I did the math - forgot the exact number, but (besides the bragging rights) it made no sense unless joining no later than mid-20s, age-wise.
Click to expand...
Yeah, that always struck me as funny in a way.... I didn't have the money for it when I was young and just learning to fly. Now that I do have a little money, there's no way it makes any sense to buy...
and yes, I understand that idea of "supporting the organization". OK fine, but even that has limits!
I've long thought that they should pro-rate the lifetime thing for us old folks
 
My suggestion is to buy the lifetime membership for your aviation enthusiast kid. All the benefits, probably 3x the potential benefit over time.
 
Brad W said:
Yeah, that always struck me as funny in a way.... I didn't have the money for it when I was young and just learning to fly. Now that I do have a little money, there's no way it makes any sense to buy...
and yes, I understand that idea of "supporting the organization". OK fine, but even that has limits!
I've long thought that they should pro-rate the lifetime thing for us old folks
Click to expand...
I don't like this idea at all! The Lifetime Member building is already too crowded!

I'm in the category where my lifetime membership was more expensive than paying normal dues for the rest of my life. I don't see it has having bragging rights, or getting anything special out of it, but in my case EAA has given me a lot of opportunities and I wanted to support them.
 
I figure that in the end I will have paid EAA more than a lifetime membership ...having paid regular renewals for a long time! My card says "Member since 1995", but I'm almost certain that I joined during my first visit to sun n fun which would have been 1994

regardless, 31 years of regular membership, based on today's rate = $1488
lifetime would cost me $1495 today
so I reckon I'm only just now at the tripping point for it to have made financial sense for me. From this point forward, I'll be supporting them more than if I had ponied up for a lifetime!
i suppose if I'm very very lucky, I might live another 31 years... but I realistically only have potentially less than half that time for possibly getting active in flying again.
 
kyleb said:
My suggestion is to buy the lifetime membership for your aviation enthusiast kid. All the benefits, probably 3x the potential benefit over time.
Click to expand...
Absolutely! I bought my kid one when he got his T/W endorsement.
 
Lowflynjack said:
I don't like this idea at all! The Lifetime Member building is already too crowded!

I'm in the category where my lifetime membership was more expensive than paying normal dues for the rest of my life. I don't see it has having bragging rights, or getting anything special out of it, but in my case EAA has given me a lot of opportunities and I wanted to support them.
Click to expand...
I've asked them to reduce the membership fee by $100 (or whatever) and keep the jacket and plaque. I don't want either. Maybe those things appealed to an older generation, but I don't have a "me wall" at the home or office and I'm certainly not gonna run around wearing an EAA jacket. So that $$ is wasted, just let me opt out of paying for it and receiving it.

Nope. Lifetime membership costs $X and you get specified benefits including a plaque and jacket to clutter up a closet somewhere.
 
Brad W said:
Yeah, that always struck me as funny in a way.... I didn't have the money for it when I was young and just learning to fly. Now that I do have a little money, there's no way it makes any sense to buy...
and yes, I understand that idea of "supporting the organization". OK fine, but even that has limits!
I've long thought that they should pro-rate the lifetime thing for us old folks
Click to expand...
I have gotten the occasional offer from EAA to knock a decade's worth of dues off the price of a lifetime membership, or something like that. It still seemed awfully expensive, unfortunately!

I wonder, if I buy a lifetime membership for my son, can I just be "family" instead? I mean, we have a family membership right now, and the wife and kids all have their own membership cards...
 
I won't do lifetime membership for anything, I just don't have that kind of commitment. Or maybe more accurately, I don't trust anyone but my brother to not be a jerk in X years.

I did just join EAa the other day, though. I don't know if my vote counts, but what they talk about doing, and what they do, sounds a lot more worthwhile than the other place.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top