CLEVELAND, Miss. — Jonas Dillon-Sauer of Columbia is among a select group of Air Force Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (AFJROTC) cadets participating in the 2026 Flight Academy at Delta State University, where students complete training leading to a private pilot license.
Now in its sixth consecutive year as a host institution, Delta State University is one of 24 colleges and universities nationwide selected to offer the eight-week summer aviation program. The academy is designed to inspire high school cadets to pursue careers in aviation while helping address the nation’s ongoing pilot shortage.
The program combines classroom instruction with intensive flight training, culminating in participants earning their private pilot licenses.
Marshall Tomlinson, Delta State’s director of flight operations, said the university has maintained a 100 percent success rate over the past two years.
“We have had two years in a row of 100 percent of the cadets earning their private pilot license, and I expect that trend to continue,” Tomlinson said. “We got started last week with 12 cadets, and they are really showing their dedication and determination.”
The academy is coordinated by Tomlinson along with Aerial Applicator Program Coordinator Sheila Millican and Assistant Chief Flight Instructor Alexandra Ingold.
Delta State University, located in Cleveland, Mississippi, offers a variety of aviation degree programs and serves nearly 2,800 students. The university’s participation in the AFJROTC Flight Academy provides cadets from across the country with an opportunity to begin careers in aviation through hands-on flight training.
Photo: The 2026 cohort of aspiring pilots attending the AFJROTC Flight Academy at DSU this summer are (front row, from left) Tyler Cognitore, Owen Chang, Anthony Chavez-Ramirez, DSU Aerial Applicator Program Coordinator Sheila Millican, Kendyl Corper, Jonas Dillon-Sauer, (back row, from left) Logan Allen, Joshua Noecker, Forrest Blair, the DSU Fighting Okra, Kane Barnard, Paige Edwards, Jonah Marlow, Julyssa Bautista Mejia and JROTC Representative Dale Lightfoot.
