Our Mission

Our mission is to carry on the legacy of Maj. Stephen “Cajun” Del Bagno by helping stellar young Americans chase their own dreams to fly and pursue their passion for aviation.

Our Goal

Maj. Stephen “Cajun” Del Bagno lived for aviation. As a high school student, he volunteered to clean toilets, wash hangar floors, and airplanes in exchange for flying lessons at his local airfield, CP Aviation. From these humble beginnings, Stephen embarked on a worldwide adventure, flying more than 3500 flight hours in over 30 civilian and military aircraft. As a U.S. Air Force fighter pilot, Stephen proved to be a natural leader and skilled aviator, ultimately being trusted to fly the most advanced fighter aircraft ever built, the F-35 Lightning II.

Stephen worked extremely hard, overcame numerous obstacles and was able to fulfill a lifelong dream of flying for the elite U.S. Air Force Air Demonstration Squadron, the Thunderbirds as the #4, Slot Pilot.

He inspired everyone he encountered to dream big and to never give up. When engaging with fans, family and friends he always stressed his 4 P’s to Prosperity: Find your Passion, that will give you Purpose, be Persistent in your pursuit, be Personable (Humble, Credible, and Approachable) and you will Prosper. Both in an out of the cockpit, Stephen embodied the finest qualities of his country, his service, and the spirit of the Thunderbirds.

On April 4, 2018, the world suffered an unimaginable loss as Maj. Del Bagno perished during a routine aerial demonstration training. In his 34 years, he mastered the art of persistence, embodied being a “good dude”, took pride in giving back to his community and stayed humble in his pursuit for excellence. He is missed beyond measure and this foundation will continue Stephen’s legacy and allow his family to help stellar young Americans chase their own dreams to fly and pursue their passion for aviation.

Cajun's 4 P’s to Prosperity

Find your Passion
that will give you Purpose
be Persistent in your pursuit
be Personable-Humble, Credible, and Approachable

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CADI Coloring for Kids

We are happy to announce we have a free coloring book available for download. Please click the page you are interested in and then right click and choose print. You can also drag the image to your desktop and print it from there. Send us your finished coloring sheet to be featured on the website and social media!

Click here to download the entire coloring book

Special shout out to the artist, Melanie Valentin at planeoldart.com for these custom designs! They are perfect and Cajun would be honored that these will inspire kids for many years! Thank you!

2024 Scholarship Recipients

Advanced Air Academy

Ella Lucas

Ella Lucas is a 17-year-old from California. Her career goal is to become a commercial airline pilot and be certified in aviation maintenance. Ella is part of her local EAA Civil Air Patrol, has completed ground school and with 20 hours of flight time is working on soloing through Glendale Community College’s Aviation Program.

She likes to handglide and volunteers as a youth soccer coach in her spare time. Ella has her own website, flygirl.la and loves to write about aviation. She is looking forward to attending the EAA Advanced Air Academy Camp in Oshkosh, WI this summer for the hands-on learning environment and networking opportunities.

Lucas Garcia

Lucas Garcia is a 17-year-old from New Mexico, currently residing in Germany. He is currently working towards his private pilot’s license and his career goal is to join the USAF as a pilot. He was previously attended the highly sought after Aim High Flight Academy where he accumulated 15 hours of physical, 15 hours of FAA-approved Sim flying and 20 hours of ground school.

Lucas is excited to attend the EAA Advanced Air Academy Camp in Oshkosh, WI this summer for the hands-on learning experience and to be immersed in all things aviation to improve his skills and grow his knowledge of the complexities of flight.