13-year-old Kaylee Krapfl carries on family legacy as dedicated EAA AirVenture volunteer
Starting at age 5, Kaylee Krapfl has volunteered at EAA AirVenture, inspired by three generations of family members, and now aims to combine flying and teaching in her aviation career.
The gist
Kaylee Krapfl, just 13, has been volunteering at EAA AirVenture since age 5, inspired by family and dreaming of becoming a flight instructor.
At only 13 years old, Kaylee Krapfl has already made a significant mark as a volunteer at the Experimental Aircraft Association's (EAA) famed AirVenture event. Beginning her volunteer journey at age 5, Kaylee represents the fourth generation of Krapfls contributing their time and energy to EAA activities. Her grandmother, Mary Krapfl, was the family’s pioneering EAA volunteer, a mantle later assumed by Kaylee’s father, Brian, and now by Kaylee herself. This deep-rooted family tradition has seen over 20 Krapfl relatives involved with the organization.
Kaylee’s volunteer duties began with modest tasks such as removing expired wristbands and collecting trash, but her commitment has grown substantially. Despite her young age, Kaylee’s dedication is evident from early morning starts and long days during AirVenture. Her parents recount how she often rises before dawn and stays busy until evening. Rather than treating volunteering as a casual summer activity, Kaylee views it as a serious and fulfilling pursuit.
Apart from the work itself, the social environment at AirVenture is a key draw for Kaylee. She values meeting diverse people from around the aviation community, appreciating their friendliness and the shared enthusiasm for flight. Her passion for volunteering is tied closely to the sense of camaraderie and belonging that the event fosters among its many contributors.
Kaylee’s fascination with aviation has been nurtured extensively by her involvement with EAA. Over the past two years, her interest has solidified into a clear aspiration: to become a certificated flight instructor. She envisions combining her love for flying with her passion for teaching to build a lifelong career in aviation. This goal reflects a meaningful integration of her skills and interests, inspired both by the tradition she grew up in and the experiences gained through volunteering.
Historical and familial role models have shaped Kaylee’s ambitions. The iconic Amelia Earhart stands out as a personal inspiration, admired for her pioneering achievements in aviation history. Yet, Kaylee feels an even stronger connection to pilots within her own family—her grandfather, father, and godfather serve as everyday examples guiding her path. Their ongoing encouragement strengthens her resolve to pursue flight professionally.
Her family’s support is unequivocal. Both parents express confidence in Kaylee’s determination and back her decisions fully. Brian Krapfl reflects on common misconceptions about aviation safety but emphasizes that personal fulfillment and happiness should guide life choices. This family philosophy reinforces Kaylee’s sense of purpose and optimism about a future in aviation.
Kaylee’s story exemplifies how family influence and early exposure to volunteering can ignite a young person’s passion and commitment. As she continues to serve at AirVenture and deepen her aviation knowledge, Kaylee is poised to rise as the next generation of passionate aviators. Her journey highlights the enduring value of volunteerism in fostering aviation enthusiasm and expertise.
The role of volunteers like Kaylee is foundational to the success of EAA events and initiatives. AirVenture and similar programs rely on thousands of dedicated individuals who contribute selflessly, often dedicating weeks of their time. The Krapfl family’s multigenerational participation underscores the vital human element behind these large-scale aviation gatherings, demonstrating how passion and legacy combine to sustain the community.
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American AAdvantage Offers Up to 50 Percent Off Purchased Miles in July Promotion
Buying miles & points strategically can be a good value , especially for first and business class travel. Going back several years, American AAdvantage used to consistently have different promotions on purchased miles each month. However, in 2022, American increased the cost to purchase miles , and seemingly gave up on selling miles , as the program has pretty consistently had the same 35-40% off promotion on buying miles since then, with limited exceptions. With that in mind, American has just launched its best promotion of the year on buying miles. While I wouldn't speculatively buy miles at this cost, there's potentially value to be had. Note that buying AAdvantage miles doesn't count toward your Loyalty Points total (other than any amount you may spend on an eligible credit card). Promotion on purchased American AAdvantage miles Between July 15 and July 22, 2026, American AAdvantage is offering up to a 50% discount (or 100% bonus, if you prefer) on purchased miles . The offer is tiered, and you get a bigger discount the more miles you buy, as follows: Buy 3,000-9,000 miles, receive 500 bonus miles Buy 10,000-29,000 miles, receive 2,500 bonus miles Buy 30,000-89,000 miles, receive 10,000 bonus miles Buy 90,000-150,000 miles, receive 45,000 bonus miles Buy 151,000-299,000 miles, receive 100,000 bonus miles Buy 300,000-499,000 miles, receive 100,000 bonus miles Buy 500,000 miles, receive 500,000 bonus miles As you can see, you need to buy a lot of miles to get the best price! Buy American AAdvantage miles for 50% off How much does it cost to purchase American AAdvantage miles? Ordinarily American sells AAdvantage miles for 3.5 cents each (pre-tax) before factoring in any discounts or bonuses. If you maxed out this promotion and purchased one million AAdvantage miles at a cost of $18,812.50, you'd end up paying a rate of 1.88 cents per AAdvantage mile. Buy American AAdvantage miles for 1.88 cents each As mentioned above, this is the best promotion we've seen from the program so far all year. However, you do need to buy a lot of miles to unlock the best price, and cash is king. How many American AAdvantage miles can you purchase? The American AAdvantage program ordinarily allows members to purchase at most 300,000 miles per account per calendar year, before factoring in any bonuses. However, during this promotion, that cap has been increased to 500,000 miles (before the up to 100% bonus). Note that AAdvantage accounts less than 30 days old aren't eligible to purchase miles. Redeem AAdvantage miles for Cathay Pacific business class Which credit card should you buy American AAdvantage miles with? American AAdvantage processes mileage purchases directly, which means the purchase of miles does qualify as airfare spending . Therefore you'll want to consider using one of the below cards for your purchase, since you'd earn bonus points for airfare purchases . Please add a credit card to compare. Redeem AAdvantage miles for Japan Airlines business class For example, I value Membership Rewards points at 1.7 cents each, so by my math American Express Platinum Card® ( review ) offers an 8.5% return on this spending, given the 5x points category . Is buying American AAdvantage miles worth it? Unlike Delta SkyMiles and United MileagePlus, American AAdvantage continues to publish award charts for travel on partner airlines, and redemption rates are largely quite good, especially for travel in premium cabins on partner airlines. Among the "big three" carriers in the US, I tend to think AAdvantage has the best redemption opportunities. I find the cost of business class redemptions to be excellent in many cases. There are instances where it could make sense to pick up miles during a promotion with a short term use in mind. Just to give a few examples of some of my favorite uses of AAdvantage miles (all redemption rates are one-way): For 57,500 miles you can fly from the United States to Morocco in Royal Air Maroc business class For 60,000 miles you could fly from the United States to Japan in Japan Airlines business class For 70,000 miles you could fly from the United States to most of Asia in Cathay Pacific business class For 70,000 miles you can fly from the United States to India in Etihad business class For 75,000 miles you can fly from the United States to South Africa in Qatar Airways business class Now, unfortunately the catch is that partner award availability is in many instances quite limited. For airlines like Cathay Pacific, Etihad, and Qatar Airways, the airlines now largely restrict premium awards to members of their own frequent flyer programs. So definitely do your research before buying any miles. Redeem AAdvantage miles for Qatar Airways business class On what airlines can you redeem American AAdvantage miles? American Airlines belongs to the oneworld alliance, so you can redeem AAdvantage miles on all oneworld airlines. On top of that, you can redeem miles on some of American's other partner airlines, including Air Tahiti Nui, China Southern, Etihad Airways, and GOL Airlines, among others. Redeem AAdvantage miles for Air Tahiti Nui business class How much are American AAdvantage miles worth? Everyone will value mileage currencies differently, but personally I value American AAdvantage miles at ~1.5 cents each. However, I tend to value points pretty conservatively, and there are many ways to get way more value from AAdvantage miles than that. Do American AAdvantage miles expire? American AAdvantage miles don't expire as long as you have at least some account activity once every 24 months . Eligible activity includes earning or redeeming AAdvantage miles in any quantity. What other ways can you earn American AAdvantage miles? There are lots of great ways to earn American miles aside from outright buying them: There are excellent welcome bonuses on co-branded American AAdvantage credit cards You can convert Citi ThankYou points into American AAdvantage miles You can earn AAdvantage miles with a Bask Savings Account You can earn AAdvantage miles for everyday purchases with programs like AAdvantage Dining and SimplyMiles Redeem AAdvantage miles for Royal Air Maroc business class Bottom line American AAdvantage has just launched its best promotion on purchased miles in quite some time. The program is offering up to a 50% discount on purchased miles, which is an opportunity to buy miles for 1.88 cents each. While I wouldn't speculatively buy miles at this cost, with a specific use in mind, there could be value with this offer. Do you plan on buying American miles with this promotion?
Canadian Soccer Star Alistair Johnston Faces Major Travel Issues with Frontier Airlines
By most measures, Canadian right back Alistair Johnston had a relatively successful 2026 FIFA World Cup. Indeed, the 27-year-old defender started all five of his country's games at the tournament, helping them to keep two clean sheets before eventually being knocked out in the round of 16 by Morocco. However, his travel plans after the World Cup did not pan out so well, as he detailed on social media.
BA Cityflyer posts 79% jump in 2025 operating profit after key system upgrades
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American Airlines Eyes Boeing 787 to Replace Aging 777-200ER Fleet
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