Thanks for everyone’s responses. I stumbled upon all the new responses almost accidentally, and so happy I did! I agree, there are lots of great programs out there besides CAP, but after all these months my son still dreams of being a pilot, he’s fascinated by planes and can’t wait to go on a trip to Everett to visit the Boeing factory museum. I’d say he leans more towards engineering than military, but hopefully he’ll enjoy the experience itself, with no far-fetched goal in mind like a service academy, etc. Thanks again!
At this age, a nice option can be events at local (smaller, probably) airports, or certain air bases, perhaps armories – sometimes they open their gates for an aeronautical equivalent of touch-a-truck. Great fun.
Or this: https://www.eaa.org/en/airventure My husband had hoped to make it this year but just started new job. Turns out his new boss has been several times (and we’re not local, we’re in the northeast). Two of them waxing enthusiastic about all the airplanes. It never ends. 