Warm Winter Day Flying at St. Louis Downtown Airport

By Carmelo Turdo

The Aero Experience again visited St.Louis Downtown Airport on this past warm winter weekend. The airport is home to the Greater St. Louis Air & Space Museum, located in historic 1929 Curtiss-Wright Hangar 2 on the west apron. 

During our visit, we checked out the prominent vintage airliners, a Douglas DC-3C/C-47A and Convair 440. The DC-3 will be moving to Basler Turbo Conversions in the near future. Also featured here are a mix of general aviation aircraft traffic, including our friend Bob Hamilton taxiing out in his Spacewalker. St. Louis Flight Training flew their Piper Arrow III and Cessna 172 also during the afternoon.   

 

Greater St. Louis Air & Space Museum Hosts School Field Trip

By Carmelo Turdo

The Greater St. Louis Air & Space Museum hosted about 100 City of St. Louis School District students, teachers and parents today as they visited while on a tour of several southwest Illinois educational sites. The students rotated through the exhibit stations, including aircraft and trainers in the museum hangar, the St. Louis Downtown Airport Fire Department's Panther 6X6 Aircraft Rescue Firefighting Vehicle, the museum's Lockheed JetStar once owned by Howard Hughes, and Bob McDaniel's Cessna 172 aircraft. The museum wishes to thank Bob McDaniel for organizing the Young Eagles events we featured here this week, and for flying in early this morning to display his aircraft to the visiting students. His presence today was especially appreciated, as McDaniel's aircraft resembles one featured in literature recently studied by the students.  

The Aero Experience thanks the museum and the airport staff for making this educational experience for these students possible. Here are some views of today's visit.

Greater St. Louis Air & Space Museum Adds Exhibits In Historic Hangar at St. Louis Downtown Airport

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By Carmelo Turdo

e Greater St. Louis Air & Space Museum continues to grow at its current location in historic 1929 Curtiss-Wright Hangar 2 at St. Louis Downtown Airport in nearby Cahokia, IL.  The museum, established in 1982 as the St. Louis Aviation Museum by McDonnell Douglas employees and retirees at Spirit of St. Louis Airport in Chesterfield, MO, currently maintains a collection of exhibits and aircraft that well represent the contributions of St. Louis aviation and aerospace since the 1920s.  Rare items on display include Mercury and Gemini space suits, two working Link Trainers from the 1940s-50s, a Lockheed Jetstar executive jet once owned by Howard Hughes and a Meyers OTW trainer (number 50 out of 102 made).  Several aircraft restoration projects are planned, and the museum is in search of more docents and a sponsor for the future restoration of the historic hangar.

Here is a look at just some of the current exhibits from the gallery and hangar full of aircraft, engines and related items. The museum is open Friday-Sunday, 10am-4pm.