California Aeronautical University's Flight Team Flies High

By: Shawn Staerker

Imagine walking into your first week of college, still figuring out where the dining hall is, and already signing up to compete against flight teams from across the country. That’s exactly what Jackson Kaspar did at California Aeronautical University (CAU) — and he hasn’t looked back since.

Jackson, now a newly minted flight instructor and the team’s safety officer, made up his mind to join CAU’s competitive flight team before he even enrolled. “My first experience with it was I attended an open house here… and I actually met Melissa’s brother Nate, who was the current captain on the flight team,” Jackson recalled. “From there, I was set.” By week three of college, he’d already submitted his application and was officially a member.

That kind of full-throttle commitment is the heartbeat of the California Aeronautical University Flight Team — and it’s paying off in a big way.

A Team Built From the Ground Up

The CAU flight team didn’t start with a big budget or a long tradition behind it. According to coach Melissa Johnston, it was sparked by one passionate staff member and a handful of eager students who convinced the university to give it a shot. Their first competition? A trip out to Prescott, Arizona, where they quickly discovered that collegiate aviation competition is a very real thing.

Fast-forward a few years: the team has now competed in four national championships through the National Intercollegiate Flying Association (NIFA) — the NCAA of collegiate aviation — and climbed from 20th place at 2022 Nationals all the way up to 15th in 2023. They’ve hosted regional competitions at their Bakersfield campus, attracted a sponsorship from Lightspeed Aviation, and won the Red Baron Team Sportsmanship Award multiple times. Oh, and they’ve done it while flying cross-country in a 1965 Cessna 150 named “Little Red.”

More Than Just Flying

Here’s the thing about being on a competitive flight team: it’s not just about stick-and-rudder skills. NIFA competitions include events like aircraft identification (yes, you have to spot and name planes as they fly by), precision landing, navigation, and ground knowledge events. Student competitor Sebastian Bernal, who handles marketing and community outreach for the team, lights up talking about the spotting event.

“I’ll go out to different airports and just plane watch, just watch the planes come in and out,” Sebastian said. “So it was a really good competition for me. And after that, it was just second nature.”

The team practices early mornings and late nights, layering competition prep on top of already demanding flight training and academics. Sebastian keeps an agenda — followed “to the T” — to manage it all. But rather than burning out, students say the extra challenge sharpens them.

As Melissa put it, “There’s a lot of stuff that they learn on the team that then they take back into their peers and academic classrooms as experience that only enhances the learning environment.”

The Bonds That Make a Team

Ask anyone on the flight team what their favorite part is, and they’ll tell you it’s not the trophies. It’s the people.

Team-building happens naturally when you’re spending 17 hours in a van together driving to a competition, or navigating across the country in a Cessna 150 with stops in Roswell, New Mexico (free nachos at the FBO — ask Jackson). Those shared experiences create a camaraderie that’s visible to everyone at competitions, which is exactly why CAU keeps winning the Sportsmanship Award.

“When we go to these competitions, we’re there for a week and we’re preparing weeks ahead of time,” Jackson said. “You get to know the people when you’re competing with them. It’s a community of competitiveness at the end of the day.”

The team also builds connections well beyond their own university — with sponsors, airlines, and other schools across NIFA’s 80+ member teams nationwide. Landing a Lightspeed Aviation partnership? That started with two team captains striking up a conversation at Oshkosh AirVenture.

Eyes on the Prize

The California Aeronautical University Flight Team is young, hungry, and trending upward. Their goal? A top-10 finish at Nationals. Their bigger dream? A national championship — maybe in the next five to ten years.

Given the trajectory of this team, that’s not just wishful thinking. It’s a flight plan.

If you’re a student between 14 and 24 who loves aviation, here’s the takeaway: you don’t have to wait until you have a commercial certificate or hundreds of hours to start building your aviation career. Flight teams, competitions, and organizations like NIFA are available right now — and they can open doors you didn’t even know existed.

🎧 Listen to the Full Interview

Want to hear more from Jackson, Sebastian, and Melissa? Catch the conversation on The Future in Flight Podcast:

👉 Listen here —The Future in Flight Podcast Season 2 Episode 3

Don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss an episode. We’ll see you out there — and up there!