New Year Off to Good Start With Visit to St. Louis Downtown Airport

By Carmelo Turdo

The Aero Experience begins the new year with a visit to St. Louis Downtown Airport. The airport is home to the Greater St. Louis Air & Space Museum, located in historic 1929 Curtiss-Wright Hangar 2 on the west apron. During our visit, we checked out the prominent vintage airliners, a Douglas DC-3C/C-47A and Convair 440. The DC-3 will be moving to Basler Turbo Conversions in the near future. We also met with some of our friends who were aviating on the unusually warm Saturday afternoon: Aaron Tarlow doing some pattern work in his Piper Comanche, Bob Hamilton flying his Pitts Special and Spacewalker, and John Cosgrove giving some instruction in the St. Louis Flight Training Piper Arrow III. Also featured here are a mix of general aviation aircraft traffic and two air ambulance helicopters that frequent the airport to refuel. A late afternoon landing by two U.S. Marines Super Stallions is also included here.