What Is The Aero Experience? Our Mission and Services Update

The Aero Experience has promoted Midwest Aviation for over sixteen years, and we look forward to more fun and flying in the year ahead! In 2026, we will adjust our posting schedule and format to provide more in-depth feature stories and videos while adding to our network of collaborators and advertisers. The Aero Experience is grateful for the sponsors and advertisers from across the region who continue to support our mission, and we will continue to be a valuable source of record for many Midwest Aviation organizations.

What is The Aero Experience? 

The Aero Experience is a celebration of Midwest Aviation and aerospace achievement. We believe that aviation is best appreciated through direct participation, and so we encourage everyone to engage in the many aviation activities available to industry professionals and the general public in our region. Seen in that light, our event coverage, feature stories and videos are created to give viewers the experience of coming along with us if they cannot be there personally. We also work with industry leaders to strengthen the Midwest Aviation business climate and inform our viewers of professional development opportunities as they become available. 

Event coverage and feature stories are posted on our website, The Aero Experience blog, and accompanying videos are on The Aero Experience YouTube Channel. We also post on our social media pages, Facebook and Instagram. The results of our work can also be found in a wide range of marketing materials, from aviation industry and general media outlets to periodicals and books. 

The Aero Experience thanks everyone who has worked with us in the past to promote Midwest Aviation. Please consider supporting our work through the sponsorship and advertising opportunities listed below and contact us regarding Midwest Aviation events and interesting people we should feature in our coverage!

What we Do: Aviation Event Coverage, Feature Stories and Marketing Material

The Aero Experience provides media coverage of Midwest Aviation events and publishes feature stories, videos and marketing material of interest to the aviation community and general audiences. Our news and feature story coverage includes individual and corporate profiles, in-flight interviews, aircraft reviews, STEM education programs, seminars, trade shows, airshows and fly-ins, aviation history and countless other opportunities to promote the positive aspects of Midwest Aviation. We also provide media services specifically tailored to our sponsors, advertisers and single event coordinators. 

We capture the people, missions and moments that make Midwest Aviation great!  

Sponsors and Midwest Aviation Partners

The Aero Experience promotes our sponsors and advertisers, including: Elite Aviation, Wings of Hope, Gateway Flight Training and Gateway Jets. We also partner with other organizations who create value for the Midwest Aviation community, including The Greater St. Louis Business Aviation Association, St. Louis Regional Freightway, Army Aviation Heritage Foundation Gateway Chapter, Missouri Wing of the CAF and Fly with Alexis. We are also a team sponsor of Patrick McAlee Airshows – ExtremeFlight and support the Team Alec Forever Foundation. Sponsors and advertisers receive home page advertising space, priority coverage of events and additional media services.   

Advertising Packages for The Aero Experience

The Aero Experience welcomes your ad in our prime home page advertising space. Your ad will be seen over a hundred thousand times each month, and our value-added media services will reinforce your brand among current and future customers.  

                 
Single Event Package: Starting at $250
Additional days extra depending on coverage expectations; 
Includes photos, videos and promotional material;
Extra expenses for an event, including but not limited to, event entry and media access fees, aviation assets (as applicable) and travel/lodging/food are borne by the event host.

Ad Package: 12 months/$300
Home page logo ad with link;
Introductory feature story about your business;
Referrals for your products and services.

Additional Services: listed below and bid separately or as a special package
Promotional photos and videos;
Aircraft photo and video sessions; 
Full-length feature stories for third party media sources;
Other related services as mutually agreed upon in advance.
Extra expenses for a project, including but not limited to, entry and media access fees, aviation assets (as applicable) and travel/lodging/food are borne by the sponsor.
 
Contact Carmelo Turdo at aeroexperience@att.net for details.

Third-Party Media Products Provided by The Aero Experience 

 

Media from The Aero Experience regularly appear in local, regional, national and international publications and video productions, increasing our ability to promote Midwest Aviation. Media requested by our sponsors, event organizers, researchers and other publishers are provided through mutual agreement with sourcing to The Aero Experience. Some examples of third-party media sources include:

Newspapers:

Alton Telegraph

St. Louis Post Dispatch

Newsletters (multiple editions):

AIAA Gateway News

Chesterfield Villas

EE Times

Greater St. Louis Flight Instructors Association News

Hands of Compassion, Reichard Report

Missouri Aviation Historical Society Middle Marker

Missouri Pilots Association News

Ozark Air Lines Silver Swallows Alumni Newsletter

P-38 Lightning Association

Saint Louis Downtown Airport

Spirits of St. Louis RC Club Flightlines

Wings of Hope Lift

Periodicals (specific editions):

World Airshow News, Spring 2025 

NATA Skylines, Fall/October 2024

The Buzz Magazine, August 2024

NATA Skylines, Fall 2023

St. Louis Science Center NewScience, Winter 2022

NATA Skylines, Fall/September 2022

NATA Skylines, Spring/March 2022

St. Louis Science Center NewScience, Winter 2021

ICAS Air Shows, 1Q 2021

Global Aviator, February 2021

FAA Safety Briefing, January/February 2021 

World Airshow News, Autumn 2020 

IAC Sport Aerobatics, July 2020

IAC Sport Aerobatics, January 2020

NATA Skylines, Winter/December 2019

Aviation News Journal Magazine, November/December 2014

Arabian Aerospace, November 2013

Skyways, April 2012

World Airshow News, Featured Contributor September - November 2010

Books:

Wings of Hope. (2024) SOAR Into STEM Book of Knowledge

Parsons, D. (2022) One Hotel Zero, Blurb Books

Klaus, H. and Bert Kinzey (2020). F/A-18E & F/A-18F Super Hornet in Detail & Scale

Kissinger, B. (2015). Fly Now! (Book and Movie Combo), Pax et Amor Productions Intl. 

Turdo, C. (2002). Aviation Adventures, Turdo Productions

Marketing Materials and Event Programs:

Midwest Aviation Expo 2025 Official Program, Fall 2025

Midwest Aviation Expo 2024 Official Program, Fall 2024

Erik Lindbergh Lancair Restoration/First Flight Certificate, February 2024

Sun'n Fun International Fly-In & Expo Official Souvenir Program, Spring 2021

Giles Henderson Memorial Fly-In Announcement, Summer 2018

GT Propellers GT3G-MMP brochure, Summer 2018

Illinois Tourism Visitors Guide 2018 Commemorative Issue, Winter 2017/2018

Highter Education Channel, Come Fly with Us, April 2017

Sun'n Fun International Fly-In & Expo Official Souvenir Program, Spring 2015

Midwest Airport Fun Days poster and event card, Spring 2015

Mount Vernon Outland Airport IL ANG Lobby Exhibit, Summer 2014

Midwest Airport Fun Days poster and event card, Spring 2014

Greater St. Louis Air & Space Museum brochure, Fall 2013

STL Biplane Rides Enjoy St. Louis from the Air! brochure, Fall 2012

Asolo Repertory Theatre, Come Here Often, 2011-2012 Season Program

Centennial of Naval Aviation, Celebrating 100 Years of Naval Aviation, Winter 2011

Sponsored Events/Projects and Professional Memberships:

Midwest Aviation Expo Media Sponsor, Mount Vernon, IL, September 2025

St. Louis Regional Aerospace and Aviation Task Force Member: 2024-Present  

100 Years Around Australia Flight Promotion, April - July 2024

Team Alec Forever Golf Tournament Hole Sponsor, 2023, 2024

Gateway Youth Aeronautical Foundation Founding and Media Sponsor, 2020-2024

Ranken Technical College Summer Adventure Academy, Summer 2022

Patrick McAlee Airshows ExtremeFlight, 2020-Present

Nathan Rose Cancer Benefit auction items, February 2020 

International Space Development Conference, St. Louis, May 2017 

St. Louis University Flying Billikens Advance to National Intercollegiate Flying Association Competition - Expanded Edition

By Carmelo Turdo

The St. Louis University Flying Billikens are heading to the National Intercollegiate Flying Association (NIFA) Competition to be held May 18-23, 2026, at Quad Cities International Airport in Moline, IL. The team earned their overall fourth place along with several first and second place individual scores during the recent NIFA Region VI and Region VIII competition hosted by St. Louis University on October 13-17 at St. Louis Downtown Airport. This marks the third consecutive year that the Flying Billikens have competed at the national level. 

During last fall's regionals, aircraft from the NIFA Region VI and VIII collegiate flying teams could be seen on the west apron, a short walk from the Flying Billikens operations facility. The map below, provided by NIFA, shows the regional divisions across the country with Regions VI and VIII across the Midwest. 

Participating colleges and universities include:

Region VI: St. Louis University Parks College, University of Central Missouri, Kansas State University - Salina, University of Nebraska - Omaha, University of North Dakota, University of Dubuque, Minnesota State University - Mankato and Hesston College.

Region VIII: Southern Illinois University - Carbondale, Indiana State University, Purdue University and Lewis University.

The results from the regional competition: 

Region VI Overall
1 University of North Dakota
2 University of Nebraska - Omaha
3 Kansas State University - Salina
4 Saint Louis University 
5 Minnesota State University - Mankato
6 University of Central Missouri
7 University of Dubuque

Region VIII Overall
1 Southern Illinois University - Carbondale
2 Purdue University
3 Lewis University 

The Aero Experience was on site for the regional competition flying events in October. Here we feature the landing zone distance marker preparations and the teams competing in the power off landing and message drop events at St. Louis Downtown Airport. For each competition, flights of three aircraft each launched and made their passes before recovering. 

The St. Louis University Flying Billikens can still make the claim, "We are Number One," regardless of the results from next month's NIFA national competition. The university's flight program is an outgrowth of the original Parks Air College, founded by Oliver L. Parks, in 1927. Parks Air College became the first federally certificated flight training school in 1929, and thereafter added a student-run airline, trained cadets at four airfields during World War II and later was gifted to St. Louis University. Parks College operated on its own campus in Cahokia, IL until being absorbed into St. Louis University in 1997. Currently, Parks College is known as the Oliver L. Parks Department of Aviation Science, and flight operations continue at St. Louis Downtown Airport.

The Aero Experience thanks the St. Louis University Flying Billikens for hosting our coverage of the Region VI and VIII regional competition, and we wish them well at the nationals.