Big River Aviation, St. Louis Flight Training and Jet Aviation Will Host Open House This Saturday

By Carmelo Turdo

The weather has finally turned the corner into spring, and that means it's time for Midwest fly-ns! We recommend the open house and barbecue coming up this Saturday at the St. Louis Downtown Airport West Terminal hosted by Big River Aviation, St. Louis Flight Training and Jet Aviation. Fly in and show off your plane or drive in around 11:00 A.M. and join us for food and fellowship. While you are there, come into the terminal and learn more about the services provided by Big River Aviation and St. Louis Flight Training.

"Big River Aviation provides annual and 100-hour inspections, scheduled and un-scheduled maintenance, repairs, and service to avionics, structures and engines," Owner Paul Voorhees told The Aero Experience. "I am very fortunate that my maintenance staff each has over thirty years experience." Voorhees says he is able to serve more customers simultaneously in this facility and with the additional staff he has added recently. Big River Aviation also currently maintains the St. Louis Flight Training fleet along with the company's own Cessna 172.

   

St. Louis Flight Training also operates out the West Terminal. Student pilots and their instructors have access to flight planning data and meeting rooms in the main lobby along with a classroom and lounge area. The diverse training fleet is readily available on the apron and are serviced by Big River Aviation in the main hangar.   

On display will be the Icon A5 amphibian. The all-composite Light Sport Aircraft (LSA) was designed with advanced aerodynamic and safety features, including sculpted hull and seawing platforms, folding wings, custom transport trailer, ballistic rescue parachute and car-like cockpit arrangement. The ICON A5 is powered by a Rotax 912iS Sport engine, and features a Garmin GPS flat screen, removable for pre-flight planning. ICON offers east and west coast flight centers for initial LSA pilot training or transition training to the A5 model. The ICON A5 price tag is not for the feint of heart (and that's where financing options are essential), but the advanced features of the design and product support are part of the calculation when considering this high-end LSA amphibian. 

So fly in or drive in to the open house Saturday and visit with our friends at Big River Aviation and St. Louis Flight Training. We would like to thank representatives from Regions Bank for being available during the event to discuss aircraft financing options, and we appreciate the support from the Jet Aviation FBO that services the West Terminal.

ICON A5 Amphibian Makes Splash In St. Louis This Week

By The Aero Experience Team

A unique aircraft was seen flying over the Mississippi River in downtown St. Louis this week, making a splash among aviation enthusiasts and the general public alike. The aircraft, an amphibious ICON A5, is in town for flight demonstrations to potential customers in preparation for an appearance at the Luxury Sports and Imports Show next weekend. The aircraft is being marketed and flown locally by Rick Rief, ICON Regional Sales Director, from St. Louis Downtown Airport. Demonstration flights over the St. Louis riverfront, including intentional "splash-and-goes" in front of the Gateway Arch, sparked calls to emergency services. All is well, though, since a flight in an ICON A5 can involve taking off and landing on solid ground or water. 

The Aero Experience met with Rick Rief for a brief showing of the ICON A5 to local Regions Bank representatives in front of the West Terminal during our visit to Big River Aviation on Wednesday. The all-composite Light Sport Aircraft (LSA) was designed with advanced aerodynamic and safety features, including sculpted hull and seawing platforms, folding wings, custom transport trailer, ballistic rescue parachute and car-like cockpit arrangement. The ICON A5 is powered by a Rotax 912iS Sport engine, and features a Garmin GPS flat screen, removable for pre-flight planning. ICON offers east and west coast flight centers for initial LSA pilot training or transition training to the A5 model. The ICON A5 price tag is not for the feint of heart, but the advanced features of the design and product support are part of the calculation while considering this high-end LSA amphibian. 

The ICON A5 used for this week's flights is shown here in front of the West Terminal:

 

The ICON A5 demonstration flights were flown from the Jet Aviation apron on the north side of St. Louis Downtown Airport. Later in the afternoon, we again caught up with Rick Rief and the ICON A5 following several more demonstration flights. The fading light accentuated the clean lines and contrasting color scheme of the aircraft and made for a fitting conclusion of a great day.

St. Louis Cardinals Home Opener Brings Variety of Aircraft to St. Louis Downtown Airport

By Carmelo Turdo

St. Louis came alive with the start of the St. Louis Cardinals baseball season, and yesterday's opening day game at Busch Stadium brought in fans from around the Midwest.  Midwest Aviation played a role in getting the fans to St. Louis, and St. Louis Downtown Airport as the destination for many of the aircraft in which they flew.  The airport is the closest one to downtown St. Louis, and so it becomes a beehive of activity when visitors arrive for Cardinals playoff and World Series games, events at nearby Gateway Motorsports Park, conventions and concerts.  The airport is also host to charter aircraft for visiting hockey and college basketball teams.  

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.          

We have a sample of activity from Sunday's St. Louis Cardinals baseball season opening day, including a banner flight and a charter 737.