Lindbergh Flight Featured in Class Project on 250th Anniversary of the City of St. Louis

By Mark Nankivil

 Miriam School Celebrates the 250th Anniversary of St. Louis On February 7th, Miriam School held a celebration honoring the 250th Anniversary of the Founding of St. Louis.  The 4th Grade Class chose to feature Charles Lindbergh and the Spirit of St. Louis, the aircraft Lindbergh flew solo across the Atlantic Ocean in 1927, in their class project.  Jack Nankivil,  4th grader and son of Greater St. Louis Air & Space Museum President Mark Nankivil, tackled the subject with energy and focus by researching the history of the Spirit of St. Louis, the origin of the aircraft's name and Charles Lindbergh's contribution to St. Louis aviation history from the 1920s onward. Jack took inspiration from the Spirit of St. Louis cockpit replica and display board presently on long term loan to the Greater St. Louis Air & Space Museum from the nearby Missouri History Museum when deciding on his contribution to the project.  He then created a replica of the instrument panel, incorporating opening doors with placards describing the various decisions Charles Lindbergh made in equipping his aircraft for its epic journey across the Atlantic. The classroom also included other photos and artifacts on display from the Greater St. Louis Air & Space Museum's archives and photo collection to give the children from the other classes at the school an understanding of Charles Lindbergh's accomplishment.

Well done Jack!



Jack Nankivil with his Spirit of St. Louis Cockpit Project

Classmates learn from Jack Nankivil's class project

Classmates learn from Jack Nankivil's class project

Memorabilia from Lindbergh's flight

Spirit of St. Louis cockpit replica in the museum

Display board with the cockpit replica explains its features

Jack Nankivil and Mark Nankivil in a Boeing 727 cockpit

Air Associates Continues to Sponsor The Aero Experience Coverage of EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2013 Highlights

Fred Harl and Carmelo Turdo

The Aero Experience coverage of EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2013 continues to warm the hearts of our audience throughout the winter as much of the United States remains under freezing weather conditions.  We hope that our feature stories convey the excitement of the daily activities and the sheer magnitude of the available displays, exhibits and aircraft attending the event.  We also wish to make the winter more tolerable by reliving the airshows and our visits with the pilots, ground crews and exhibitors that made EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2013 so successful.  None of this coverage would have been possible without our sponsors, Air Associates of Missouri and Air Associates of Kansas, the Cessna Pilot Centers that provide comprehensive pilot training, aircraft rental, aircraft maintenance and related services at their St. Louis, Missouri and Olathe, Kansas locations.  Air Associates has supported The Aero Experience as we have grown into a significant Midwest Aviation media resource, and we are pleased that they have sponsored our presence at Oshkosh and our continuing coverage through July.  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 recently expressed our appreciation to Air Associates for their sponsorship by presenting a framed photo of the Aeroshell Aerobatic Team taken during an airshow performance at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2013.    

The Aero Experience Founder Carmelo Turdo (center) presents a token of appreciation to Air Associates of Missouri General Manager Lisa Lynch and Air Associates Owner/Manager Tom Cargin representing Air Associates of Kansas. 

EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2013: Julie Clark and the Juice Plus Smokin' Mentor Night Show

Fred Harl and Carmelo Turdo

The Aero Experience continues our winter coverage of the EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2013 airshow performers by featuring the nighttime performance of the legendary Julie Clark.  In her 34th year flying the T-34 Mentor she bought in 1977, Julie Clark has honed the art of aerobatic flying to a fine edge and set the standards very high for others following in her footsteps.  She has over 30,000 flying hours and over 40 years of flying experience in a wide range of aircraft, from U.S. Navy Mentors to Northwest Airlines jetliners.  In this installment, we present the nighttime airshow performed during EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2013.

 

 

 

EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2013: Julie Clark and the Juice Plus Smokin' Mentor Day Show

Fred Harl and Carmelo Turdo

The Aero Experience continues our winter coverage of the EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2013 airshow performers by featuring the daytime performance of the legendary Julie Clark.  In her 34th year flying the T-34 Mentor she bought in 1977, Julie Clark has honed the art of aerobatic flying to a fine edge and set the standards very high for others following in her footsteps.  She has over 30,000 flying hours and over 40 years of flying experience in a wide range of aircraft, from U.S. Navy Mentors to Northwest Airlines jetliners.  In this installment, we present the daytime airshow performed during EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2013.