National Aviation Hall of Fame Selects AviationStart to Grow America’s Aviation Careers Pipeline

Collaboration Brings STEM Education, Scholarships, and DreamLaunch Tour to K-12 Classrooms across the Country

DAYTON, Ohio and AUGUSTA, Ga. — Feb. 10, 2026 —The National Aviation Hall of Fame (NAHF) today announced AviationStart as its new strategic career‑pathway partner, a collaboration designed to turn student inspiration into real‑world opportunities and help grow the nation’s aviation workforce. The collaboration integrates NAHF’s nationally recognized aviation STEM curriculum with AviationStart’s scholarship discovery platform, career guidance tools, and national outreach programs – creating a seamless bridge from classroom engagement to aviation careers.

Through the partnership, the NAHF will connect its aviation-based STEM education programs directly to AviationStart’s AI-powered, digital workforce platform, enabling students, educators, and families to move from early exposure to actionable next steps. While NAHF programming sparks curiosity and builds foundational interest, AviationStart provides the practical roadmap — including scholarships, training resources, and career planning — that helps turn that inspiration into measurable progress toward aviation and aerospace professions.

The announcement comes as the U.S. faces one of the most severe aviation workforce shortages in history, with 83% of maintenance technicians and nearly half of all pilots expected to retire within the next decade, according to the CAE Workforce Forecast.

“Our partnership with AviationStart represents a powerful extension of the National Aviation Hall of Fame’s mission to inspire the next generation of aviation and aerospace leaders,” said Aimee Maruyama, President and CEO of the National Aviation Hall of Fame. “By combining our hands-on, aviation-based STEM programming with AviationStart’s scholarship and career resources, we’re not only igniting curiosity but also helping students and families navigate real pathways to education, training and careers in this dynamic industry. Together, we can help ensure that today’s learners become tomorrow’s innovators.”

In 2025, the NAHF reached 6,750 classrooms, supported 7,000+ educators, and inspired over 250,000 students through standards‑based curriculum, hands‑on kits, digital tools, field trips, and immersive STEM programs. By engaging learners before high school, the Hall builds early STEM confidence and introduces real‑world aviation and aerospace careers.

With 14,000 users in its first seven months — and 2,000 more joining each month — AviationStart is rapidly becoming a key entry point for students exploring training, scholarships, and careers. Founder Jamail Larkins’ DreamLaunch Tour has already anchored more than 1,000 events and introduced over 68,000 students to opportunities in aviation and aerospace, bringing career education directly into schools, museums, airports, and community events nationwide.

Under the new NAHF collaboration and through the support of industry partners such as the Embraer Foundation, DreamLaunch will prioritize schools using the National Aviation Hall of Fame curriculum, giving NAHF‑inspired students hands-on exposure to career pathways and next‑step resources.

“AviationStart enhances the impact of our education initiatives by connecting inspiration with opportunity,” said Gregory Schell, Director of Educational Programming and External Relations at the National Aviation Hall of Fame. “Our audience of students and educators is already engaging deeply with aviation‑based STEM content; now, with access to AviationStart’s scholarship and career pathways, we can support learners not just in discovering their passion but in pursuing it further. By integrating AviationStart into NAHF education initiatives, the partnership ensures that students inspired through Hall of Fame programs have immediate access to a clear, nationally scalable pathway into aviation careers.”

“What excites me most about this partnership is how closely it mirrors my own journey,” said AviationStart Founder Jamail Larkins, who began flight training at age 12 and later became one of the youngest Americans to solo a Cessna at age 14. He added, “The National Aviation Hall of Fame inspires students at the earliest stages of learning. AviationStart helps ensure that inspiration turns into action by showing young people that aviation careers are possible and helping them navigate how to get there. Together, we’re building a stronger, more accessible aviation workforce for the future.”

AviationStart will be integrated into the National Aviation Hall of Fame’s refreshed education webpage, rolling out throughout the month of February, providing direct connections to aviation and aerospace career pathways, scholarships and funding resources. The organizations will also collaborate on upcoming education activations, including Science Saturdays at the NAHF’s Joe Clark Innovation Lab. Additional student-focused events and DreamLaunch Tour stops at the NAHF are planned later in 2026.

AviationStart’s mission is to connect anyone interested in aviation — from future pilots, flight attendants and mechanics to engineers and airport managers — with the financial and community resources they need to launch their careers. Within a year, the platform is projected to serve as a first-stop resource for one in three aspiring pilots seeking scholarships and training support. To explore AviationStart’s AI-powered scholarship and career platform, visit www.AviationStart.org.