This summer Papa Joe and I headed to Oshkosh, WI to meet our scholarship recipients, Makaio and Joaquin. Their camp started at the tail end of AirVenture, which is the largest airshow in the US. Their first day kicked off with a talk from an F-18 pilot, who was also a previous Air Academy Camper. The kids were released for the day so they could explore the convention and attend any of the seminars. After lunch they were able to watch the day airshow and also got to experience one of the coolest nighttime airshows we have ever seen! That was just their first full day! The kids went on to learn about welding, maintenance, finance, wood working, etc

Joaquin said “This was a once-in-a-lifetime event that I will never forget. I found no shortage of knowledgeable individuals to direct my inquiries to. Flying the C-162 Sky Catcher as well as oxy-acetylene welding were the most thrilling highlights for me. I am so grateful for the opportunity and will be sure to bring this experience back home to my local EAA chapter. It was a privilege to be chosen to attend this camp.”

Makaio said “Thank you for the opportunity to attend this camp. I learned a lot about aircraft history, wood working, sheet metal and more. I would never have dreamed of being here and couldn’t have without this scholarship. I hope this will be available to all the young aviators for years to come. I had fun making airplane wing ribs and holders and seeing how far aviation has come along. Thank you for choosing me, it was an amazing experience.”

Our trip concluded with Cajun being added to their Memorial Wall with the most beautiful ceremony and missing man formation while taps played. We left Oshkosh humbled and honored that they allowed us to keep Cajun’s love for aviation alive with this scholarship opportunity. I truly believe he is 100% happy and smiling down on what you have all helped our family accomplish.

We are happy to announce that we have secured 2 more camp spots for 2020. The recipients will attend Session 2, July 24th - Aug 1st. Scholarship applications are being accepted with a deadline of Dec 31st. Please help us spread the word and encourage anyone (16-18 yrs old) that you think could benefit from this opportunity to apply.

We also want to take this time to let you know that the CADI crew will be attending Aviation Nation at Nellis AFB in Nevada on November 16-17. This is the Thunderbirds last show of the 2019 season. We hope to see you there!

Please also note that we will be doing the virtual hike fundraiser, Cajun’s Climb again in 2020. Cajun’s Anniversary falls on a Sat next year so the CADI crew will be getting together at a local hiking spot in Santa Clarita, CA to kick off the fundraiser. If you are interested in joining us that day please email admin@cajunsaviationdream.org to let us know you want to come and how many will be in your group. We will have a separate event email with details that will go out when it gets closer to the date.

Thank you again for all of your love and support in helping us continue Stephen’s legacy. We are forever grateful!

XOXO

Jeannette - CADI President