Aircraft in flight against a clear sky

Our Story

About Mid-South

Build the Mid-South's next generation of pilots, engineers, and aerospace leaders.

Our Mission

Build the Mid-South's next generation of pilots, engineers, and aerospace leaders.

The Mid-South Youth Aviation Initiative gives students free access to flight training, STEM education, and aviation career mentorship. Inspired by the Tuskegee Airmen, we prepare the next generation of pilots, engineers, and aerospace leaders across the Mid-South Region (Arkansas, Tennessee, Mississippi).

Why we exist

The Mid-South Region (Arkansas, Tennessee, Mississippi) needs a stronger aviation workforce pipeline — and young people need a real chance to try the cockpit, hangar, and flight deck before they choose a career. The Mid-South Youth Aviation Initiative was built to close that gap. Drawing inspiration from the Tuskegee Airmen, who proved what happens when talent is given a real chance to train, we open free pathways for students in grades 6–12 to explore aviation through STEM, simulators, drones, discovery flights, and mentorship.

Impact

What's Possible When Students Get Access

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Students Trained

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FAA Certifications Earned

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Job or College Placement

Targets used for planning and storytelling. Figures will be updated with leadership as programs scale.

Our Heritage

Honoring the Tuskegee Airmen. Training Tomorrow's Pilots

The Tuskegee Airmen broke barriers in the sky and proved what's possible when talent is given a real chance to train. Their legacy is the foundation of this program — a commitment to opening the cockpit, the hangar, and the flight deck to every student who's curious enough to ask how it all works. We honor their history by building the next generation of aviation leaders.

1941 — The Inspiration

The Tuskegee Airmen

A generation of aviators proved that talent, given a real chance to train, can change history. Their example is the foundation of this program.

The Beginning

A Pipeline for the Mid-South

The Mid-South Region (Arkansas, Tennessee, Mississippi) needed a stronger aviation workforce path — and young people needed a real first look at the cockpit, hangar, and flight deck.

The Academy

From Classrooms to Cockpits

Discovery flights, simulators, drone labs, and mentorship became the practical way students try aviation before they choose a career.

Today

A Regional Initiative

The Mid-South Youth Aviation Initiative now stands as a free, multi-pathway aviation program — with schools, pilots, and sponsors building the next generation of aviators across Arkansas, Tennessee, and Mississippi.