My nephew went to the Huntsville camp two years ago, and seemed to have a good time. I also had two friends' kids who went and had mixed experiences. One key factor seems to be the role the child gets. Obviously, some roles are more desired than others. Your child must be able to handle not getting the "best" role.

My son opted for "Fighter pilot training" instead, and we did the parent-child weekend. If you child is the right age, and you are interested, I would definitely consider this option. We went to the California camp. They have cool flight simulators, cetrifuge, a great airplane musuem, and more. Only 5 pairs of kids/parents were there, so we got lots of personal attention. Food was great, housing was old but comfortable 2 person barracks. Besides piloting we did zip wire, some survival training (behind enemy lines) and the highlight was a paintball game where we were downed behind enemy lines with just pistols trying to make it to safety against the staff, well-armed with rifles, etc. Since the camp is on an old air force base, we had realistic survival courses to do this on. My son and I do lots of trips together, things like rafting, hiking and fishing. But this one stands up 5 years later as one of our favorites. You can combine the California trip to a visit to Sequoia National Forest, which is only about 100 miles away.