Red Tail Cadets Class VI Flies Cross-Country from St. Louis to Mount Vernon, IL

By Carmelo Turdo

Red Tail Cadets Class VI recently reached a new milestone: cross-country flight training. The five Cadets and Elite Aviation CFIs, along with The Aero Experience, Elite Aviation owner John Tipton and Chief Pilot Joshua Kelley, departed Spirit of St. Louis Airport on July 21 for the flight to Mount Vernon Outland Airport, IL and lunch at Bonnie Cafe before returning to St. Louis. The Red Tail Cadets are now winding up the flight training portion of the program, though they will continue to participate as Cadet Ambassadors for years to come.

The Red Tail Cadet Program Class VI seated L-R: Zariah Rouse, Cameron Carter, Rocko Smith, Joseph Renaud and London Hawkins

The Red Tail Cadet Program is a cooperative effort by the Ferguson-Florissant School District, The Crossing Church, and Elite Aviation among other sponsors to use aviation as a pathway to a STEM career. The program is named for the Red Tails of the 332nd Fighter Group, the first all-black military pilot unit that formed during World War II and popularly known today as the Tuskegee Airmen. The same drive and talent that made the Tuskegee Airmen legendary in war and in peace can be applied by these students in pursuit of their own future goals while participating in the Red Tail Cadet Program.

The Cadets, CFIs and Elite Aviation staff assembled for the pre-flight briefing and flight planning session at 8:00 A.M. on flight day. Flight planning complete, the Cadets conducted their preflight inspections of the Elite Cessna 172S fleet aircraft before the 9:30 A.M. start time. Here we include some views of the preflight activities, the takeoff from Spirit of St. Louis Airport and the arrival at Mount Vernon. The Cadets honed their skills using pilotage and dead reckoning navigation during the flight while maintaining a safe distance from the other aircraft in their flight of five. 

Lunch at Bonnie Cafe is always enjoyable, and it was great to visit one of our favorite Midwest airports. Thanks to SRT Flightline FBO for their hospitality and topping off the fuel tanks for the return flight. After filling up from the great buffet, the Cadets and their instructors posed for the traditional crew photos before flying back to Spirit of St. Louis Airport. 

The Aero Experience thanks the Red Tail Cadets, Elite Aviation and everyone who made this cross-country adventure possible. Check back soon for the Red Tail Cadet Class VI graduation ceremony coming later this week. 

Red Tail Cadets Make Cross-Country Flight During Training Program

By Carmelo Turdo

The Red Tail Cadet Program recently reached a new milestone: cross-country flight training. The exercise was one of technical training but also one of logistics. Six cadets with six CFIs in six Cessna 172S Skyhawks along with a much faster Piper Turbo Saratoga support aircraft departed Elite Aviation at Spirit of St. Louis Airport July 21 for Sikeston Memorial Municipal Airport. Each leg of the flight there and back to Elite Aviation took nearly an hour and a half to complete, giving the cadets plenty of time to practice point-to-point navigation techniques along the way. The Aero Experience was with the cadets for the day, accompanying them on the trip and providing this pictorial presentation below.

A pre-flight briefing and navigation tutorial was held for the cadets to review cross-country (non-GPS) navigation methods. The cadets plotted the route using dead reckoning, a navigation method based on computed course, heading, distance, ground speed and other factors. They also discussed pilotage - using recognizable landmarks to confirm the position of the aircraft along the route. Weather, fuel, weight and balance and other standard factors were also included in the pre-flight briefing. While the cadets were out doing pre-flight inspections of the aircraft, the CFIs briefed the flight with John Tipton, who flew the seventh aircraft and not surprisingly arrived early to welcome and park the six Elite Aviation Skyhawks.

All seven aircraft depart Elite Aviation for Sikeston:

Arrival and group photos at Sikeston Memorial Municipal Airport:

Everyone who flies to Sikeston knows where to have lunch:

Flying back to Spirit of St. Louis Airport with full stomachs and fuel tanks:

Another training milestone was achieved by the Red Tail Cadets with this first cross-country flight. The Aero Experience will continue our coverage of the Red Tail Cadet flight training at Elite Aviation in more stories and videos in the coming weeks.