The Aero Experience YouTube Channel Hosts Sponsor Videos and More!

By Carmelo Turdo

The Aero Experience YouTube Channel contains videos from our nearly ten years of celebrating Midwest Aviation. These videos provide a concise look at the event or topic that was covered on our The Aero Experience blog page, giving the viewer a live view of the activities. We usually take video on site when we cover a story, and there is a considerable archive of raw video yet to be edited. We hope that you will check our channel regularly for new videos using the link provided on the right column of our blog page. 

The Aero Experience would like to salute our current sponsors by posting this selection of videos featuring their outstanding contributions to the success of Midwest Aviation. These priority videos are included in their sponsorship package, and we are proud to promote their products and services whenever possible. Their videos, and the others on our channel, can be easily located using our playlists.

Elite Aviation, Spirit of St. Louis Airport

Big River Aviation, St. Louis Downtown Airport

Gateway Jets, St. Louis Downtown Airport and Spirit of St. Louis Airport

Patrick McAlee Airshows - ExtremeFlight, Chicago, IL     





The Aero Experience thanks our sponsors, industry partners and our great audience for supporting our mission to promote Midwest Aviation. Included with the above sponsors are our new sponsor JetValues-Jeremy and our legacy sponsor Air Associates, both of whom have made valuable contributions to our growth in recent years. We still have a lot to post in December, and look forward to a another very rewarding year in 2020.

Sponsor Announcement: Air Associates Sponsors The Aero Experience Coverage of EAA AirVenture Oshkosh for Fourth Season

The Aero Experience is proud to announce that Air Associates, home of Alpha Flight Academy, will sponsor coverage of EAA AirVenture Oshkosh for our fourth season in 2016.  With locations in St. Louis, MO and Olathe, KS, Air Associates provides affordable, leading edge flight training, aircraft maintenance, aircraft rental and other aviation services recognized for excellence by our Midwest Aviation community.  Air Associates has supported The Aero Experience as we have grown as a Midwest Aviation media resource, and we are pleased that they will sponsor team members Carmelo Turdo and Fred Harl at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2016.  We encourage you to click on the sponsor logo above to visit the Air Associates websites for more information on their services and visit them on your next trip to the Midwest.

 The Aero Experience and Air Associates will again team up to provide our unique brand of year-round coverage of EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2016.  Our audience looks forward to experiencing America's premier aviation event even in the middle of winter, when we are just hitting our stride.  Reliving the great moments of this momentous 10-day aviation odyssey, including the airshows, exhibitor product reviews, aviation legend interviews and even last year's voyage in the Goodyear Zeppelin Wingfoot One, adds to our regular coverage of Midwest Aviation events throughout the year with team members Mark Nankivil and Leo Cachat.  

 Along with our coverage of EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2016 and many other Midwest Aviation events, The Aero Experience will continue to publish monthly feature stories highlighting the people, services and community contributions of Air Associates from their St. Louis, MO and Olathe, KS locations.  We have had the privilege of working with Air Associates to promote Midwest Aviation before they became a sponsor, and we are looking forward to another great year.

The Aero Experience will be at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2016 from July 22-August 1.  Look for our coverage to begin shortly after we return, and join us for another great year of our celebration of Midwest Aviation!      

Midwest Aviation Excellence in 2015: Air Associates Plays Important Role In Pilot Training and Promotion of Midwest Aviation

By Carmelo Turdo

The Aero Experience celebrates the coming of a new year with a look back at the great feature stories we posted while working with our friends at Air Associates.  The Aero Experience has featured Air Associates in our Midwest Aviation stories for over four years, and we are fortunate to have Air Associates as the sponsor for our unique year-round coverage of EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2013-2015 thus far.  With facilities in St. Louis, MO and Olathe, KS, Air Associates provides leading edge flight training, aircraft maintenance, aircraft rental, and other aviation services.  We invite our audience to enjoy another look at these great stories highlighted here, and look forward to another year of working with Air Associates to promote Midwest Aviation!

Young Pilot Turns Inspiration Into Reality, Sets Lofty Goals for Aviation Career
 

Adrianne Weber

The Midwest Aviation community has a long legacy of great achievers, and more are joining the aviator ranks every day.  One of those bright new faces of aviation is the St. Louis area's Adrianne Weber, who received her Private Pilot Certificate at Air Associates of Missouri at Spirit of St. Louis Airport on February 19.  The achievement was the culmination of much hard work, and the beginning of another round of training for additional pilot ratings.  The Aero Experience visited with Adrianne Weber recently, and found her story to be one that will inspire the rest of us to keep working until we achieve no less than the goals we set in life.

 Air Associates of Kansas Teams With Local Colleges to Develop Next Generation of Aviators

A new program to develop the next generation of aviators was announced Saturday during the annual Cessna Demo Day at Air Associates of Kansas.  Air Associates of Kansas, the premier Midwest flight training facility and full-service fixed-base operator at Johnson County Executive Airport in Olathe, KS, has teamed up with Kansas State University-Salina and Johnson County Community College to offer a comprehensive opportunity for students to obtain a Bachelor of Aeronautical Technology Degree, flight training and professional flight experience.  All three partners were on hand at the Air Associates of Kansas hangar to introduce the program to prospective students and guests among a backdrop of aircraft provided by Textron, the parent company of Cessna and Beechcraft, among other aircraft brands. 
 

Cessna TTX and Beechcraft Bonanza Are Attractions at Air Associates of Missouri Cessna Demo Day

Air Associates of Missouri hosted the annual Cessna Demo Day Saturday at their Spirit of St. Louis Airport flight school facility.  Members of the local St. Louis area community - pilots, future pilots, friends and families alike - gathered to see the newest Cessna and Beechcraft aircraft (both are Textron companies) while getting the latest deals on pilot training packages.  Cessna Demo Day is one of several outreach events hosted by Air Associates of Missouri to acquaint the community with the flight training, aircraft rental and maintenance services offered in a fun, family-friendly environment.  
 

St. Louis Area Groups Provide Forum to Address Pilot Shortage, Provide Opportunities for Aviation Careers

(GSLFIA graphic)

Local St. Louis area aviation industry organizations held a public forum Thursday evening to provide information on employment opportunities available to pilots flying for the commercial airlines.  Titled "From Student to Aviation Career," the event was sponsored by the Greater St. Louis Flight Instructors Association (GSLFIA) and was conducted in the Air Associates of Missouri flight simulation facility at Spirit of St. Louis Airport.  Representatives from GSLFIA, Air Associates of Missouri, Trans States Airlines, GoJet Airlines, Southwestern Illinois College and Ideal Aviation gave presentations on their programs and services, ranging from initial flight training to employment by a commercial airline, and discussed practical career path options with individual attendees.  The first in a series of aviation industry forums planned for the remainder of the year, this event focused on the current and future shortage of air transport pilots (ATPs) that, if not addressed soon, will cause serious strains on commercial airline service providers.

Liberty University Offers "Jump-Start Your Aviation Career" Opportunity for High School Students

CFI Jonny Hewitt with the Liberty

University Cessna Top Hawk aircraft

Liberty University of Lynchburg, VA offers realistic opportunities for today's youth to train for careers in aviation.  In a recent feature story, The Aero Experience introduced Liberty University to our readers during their Cessna Top Hawk tour visit to Air Associates of Missouri in July.   

Liberty University is a partner school for the Cessna Top Hawk Flight Training Affiliate program, offering online aeronautical degree programs and flight training opportunities at Cessna Pilot Training Centers, including Air Associates of Missouri.  Liberty University also encourages high school students to participate in the Flight Training Affiliate Program and earn credits toward their aeronautics degree through the EDGE Dual Enrollment Program.

 

High school students can conceivably earn their private pilot certificate and an associate degree (or half-way to a bachelor degree) before entering college.  Progress toward the aeronautical degree and higher-level pilot ratings can continue through the remaining undergraduate education courses, resulting in early entry into a career with regional airlines that actively recruit Liberty University graduates.  The student does not have to attend the physical campus to participate in these programs.  Liberty University also encourages military veterans to enroll using their GI Bill benefits and

 

Airport Fun Day Attracts Local Community to Johnson County Executive Airport in Olathe, Kansas

The local Olathe, Kansas community filled the apron at Johnson County Executive Airport for Airport Fun Day 2015 Saturday.  The event, sponsored and produced by Air Associates of Kansas and KC Copters, was a creative way to acquaint the local community with the aviation services they provide at the airport in a family-friendly atmosphere.  The weather was perfect, the food was tasty and there were plenty of fun activities available involving the aircraft and helicopters on display and flying throughout the day.   The action began on the Air Associates apron where visitors arrived at the main entrance.  Tickets were made available for lunch, raffle prizes and Discovery Flights in the Cessna 172 aircraft.  Nearby, a Beechcraft King Air and Cessna TTx were on display.  Kansas State University-Salina brought their Cessna 172 and hosted an activity station with a quad-copter, children's activities and giveaways.  Younger children had fun in the bounce house and were entertained by a clown making balloon characters and face painting.  Later, the apron would be a great location to see the aircraft as they flew over the nearby runway and parked for lunch. 

These and other feature stories were provided through the hospitality and assistance of Air Associates at both the St. Louis, MO and Olathe, KS locations.  The Aero Experience thanks Air Associates for their continued support of our promotion of Midwest Aviation throughout the year and look forward to a great 2016.

Airport Fun Day Attracts Local Community to Johnson County Executive Airport in Olathe, Kansas

By Carmelo Turdo

The local Olathe, Kansas community filled the apron at Johnson County Executive Airport for Airport Fun Day 2015 Saturday.  The event, sponsored and produced by Air Associates of Kansas and KC Copters, was a creative way to acquaint the local community with the aviation services they provide at the airport in a family-friendly atmosphere.  The weather was perfect, the food was tasty and there were plenty of fun activities available involving the aircraft and helicopters on display and flying throughout the day.   

Johnny Rowlands of KC Copters and Tom Cargin of Air Associates sponsored

and produced Airport Fun Day 

The action began on the Air Associates apron where visitors arrived at the main entrance.  Tickets were made available for lunch, raffle prizes and Discovery Flights in the Cessna 172 aircraft.  Nearby, a Beechcraft King Air and Cessna TTx were on display.  Kansas State University-Salina brought their Cessna 172 and hosted an activity station with a quad-copter, children's activities and giveaways.  Younger children had fun in the bounce house and were entertained by a clown making balloon characters and face painting.  Later, the apron would be a great location to see the aircraft as they flew over the nearby runway and parked for lunch. 

More fun aviation activities were found on the KC Copters side of the apron, where visitors took helicopter rides around the airport, checked out the KMBC News Channel 9 helicopter, and were treated to a helicopter flight demonstration by KC Copter owner and news chopper pilot, Johnny Rowlands.  Lunch was also served there, and exotic cars were on display.  

JetSwiss Aviation also provided a Pilatus PC-12 for display in the large hangar. 

 

The Commemorative Air Force (CAF) Heart of America Wing, located at nearby New Century Air Center, offered rides for purchase in their World War II-era Fairchild PT-19 and Stearman A75 trainers.  Several rides were given in the Stearman, and CAF members were available to explain the features of these famous warbirds. 

Aerial entertainment included formation flights by local pilots after lunch.  Two members of the KC Flight brought in their colorful RV-8 homebuilts, and the Beech Nuts flying group flew in a Baron and two Bonanzas.  The five aircraft joined in formation over the airport and flew several passes for the gathering crowd before departing the area. A special bonus pass by an American Champion Decathlon and a Pitts Special formation was added to the program.

 

The Aero Experience is proud to support Air Associates of Kansas and KC Copters in their efforts to maintain a positive image for aviation in the Kanas City/Olathe Kansas area.   Air Associates of Kansas is a full-service fixed-based operator and flight school dedicated to growing the Midwest Aviation community.  KC Copters provides helicopter flight training, aerial tours and award-winning news and weather reporting for KMBC News Channel 9.  Click on the above links to contact Air Associates and KC Copters for your aviation service needs.