EMMETSBURG, Iowa (KTIV) - Over eight weeks this summer, a group of high school students traded in their textbooks for wings as they earned their FAA Private Pilot certificates.

The Air Force Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps Flight Academy, also known as JROTC, helped the students take this first leap into careers in aviation.

It is held through the Iowa Lakes Aviation program at Iowa Lakes Community College and continues to make an impact on the national level, according to the college.

“The program has produced 67 licensed private pilots to date and plays a vital role in the college’s commitment to hands-on, high-quality aviation training.”

Taking Off: the curriculum

Led by Tim Busch, the Iowa Lakes’ aviation program director, the program’s cadets receive classroom instruction a

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