St. Louis University Aviation Summer Academy Provides Flight Experience for High School Students

By Carmelo Turdo

St. Louis University's Oliver L. Parks Department of Aviation Science is hosting their annual Aviation Summer Academy this week. High school students from around the country will be given an immersive experience within the St. Louis University Aviation Science Program as well as through field trips to aerospace industry facilities throughout the community. The tuition-based program is inclusive of room and board at the St. Louis campus as well as transportation to all field trip locations. 

The Aero Experience visited with the students and the St. Louis University staff on Tuesday at the Parks College Center for Aviation Science flight operations hangar, St. Louis Downtown Airport. Our coverage includes a look at the two morning activities - flight simulation and discovery flights. 

The students rotated between training in the Frasca advanced aircraft training device (AATD) flight simulators and taking a local flight in the St. Louis University Diamond DA-20 fleet training aircraft. The realistic simulators demonstrate and reinforce the procedures learned while flying in the training aircraft, and the pre-flight exercise, while required before all flights, is also a great way to become familiar with the location and function of the major components of the aircraft before the flight. In waves of five aircraft, the students and their CFIs took off for flights around the Gateway Arch and local landmarks before returning for the next group. Many had not yet flown in a general aviation aircraft, and this was an enlightening experience!

 

Summer Aviation Academy continues through the week, and we thank St. Louis University for providing this program each year. Visit the Oliver L. Parks Department of Aviation Science website for more information on academic programs and admission requirements.