Elite Aviation Hosts High School Students During Airport Tour Day

By Carmelo Turdo

Wentzville, MO School District's Liberty High School Aerospace Engineering STEM class visited Elite Aviation during a tour of Spirit of St. Louis Airport on Friday morning. The students, along with their instructors and Airport Director John Bales, were welcomed to the West Terminal and escorted to one of the Cessna 172S training aircraft. Elite Aviation Certified Flight Instructor Luis Zelaya led an interactive pre-flight inspection demonstration, pointing out the design features of the Cessna, their functions during flight and the importance of a careful examination of each before ever starting the engine.

The students and instructors were able to relate much of what they saw on the aircraft to what they were learning in their nationally certified, college-preparatory Engineering Project Lead the Way Program (PLTW). Liberty High School, along with Timberland and Holt High Schools in the Wentzville School District, offer the PLTW program. Especially relevant was the relationship of the control surfaces - ailerons, elevator and rudder - to the movement of the aircraft about the three axes of light. Other examples of practical aviation science, such as aerodynamics, static electricity, weight and balance and atmospheric pressure were all included in the discussion.

Elite Aviation provides flight training at their Spirit of St. Louis West Terminal location in their fleet of late-model Cessna 172S aircraft and the advanced Redbird MCX full-motion flight simulator. Elite Aviation also offers its Elite Service maintenance services, aircraft rental and Elite Approach Aircraft Sales. Contact Elite Aviation for more information today.