A Day at St. Louis Downtown Airport

By Carmelo Turdo

 Along with the daily and peak air traffic, St. Louis Downtown Airport is host to organic aviation assets. The Greater St. Louis Air & Space Museum is located in an historic 1929 Curtiss-Wright hangar on the west apron, and FBO Ideal Aviation is the museum's neighbor. Parks College of Engineering, Aviation and Technology (St. Louis University), founded in 1927 and the first federally certified school of aeronautics, maintains their flight training fleet at the airport. Jet Aviation St. Louis provides maintenance, refurbishments and completions for business jets as well as FBO services on the north apron. Flight training schools on the airport include Ideal Aviation, St. Louis Flight Training and Midwest Rotor. Also based at the airport are Fostaire Helicopters, Helicopters, Inc., and Gateway Helicopter Tours. Also during the summer, St. Louis Biplane Rides offers scenic flights in a 1941 Waco open cockpit biplane.         

Here we have a sample of the air activity from Saturday.

Sightings: Marine Super Stallion Makes Stop at St. Louis Downtown Airport

By Carmelo Turdo

Earlier this month a U.S. Marine CH-53E Super Stallion stopped at St. Louis Downtown Airport on its way back to its base in the northeast.  The weather closed in, and shortly after takeoff it returned to wait out the storms another day. The crew was very courteous, but strictly business, as they prepared to fly another leg of the cross-country fight. The Marines will be retiring the CH-53E models and will receive new CH-53Ks in the coming years. In the meantime, the Super Stallions are aging quickly under the strain of combat, and replacements will be a welcome site, maybe on the next visit!  Special thanks to the crew and Jet Aviation for another unique aero experience.