Civil Air Patrol Aerospace Education Members Bring STEM Programs to Area Students

By Carmelo Turdo

Civil Air Patrol, the civilian Auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force, provides valuable and visible service to the nation during times of crisis as seen in recent Midwest flooding and the current Hurricane Dorian recovery. Other humanitarian missions, such as search and rescue, continue throughout the year as Civil Air Patrol members assist fellow citizens during their time of need. Other core missions continue unabated throughout the year, "under the radar," that are very important to the development of current and future generations. One of those missions, Aerospace Education, is conducted through the senior member and cadet training programs and through academic programs led by Aerospace Education Members at K-12 grade public, private, parochial and home schools.  

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Aerospace Education Membership is available to school instructors and youth program leaders who promote aerospace and STEM education within their school or organization. Civil Air Patrol provides classroom materials such as textbooks, STEM kits and online courses that enhance the STEM learning experience. These programs are essential to the Civil Air Patrol Aerospace Education mission serving K-12 students through the efforts of the Aerospace Education Members. The Aero Experience fully supports the missions of the Civil Air Patrol, especially Aerospace Education and STEM programs that directly affect the next generation of Americans. 

During a recent late afternoon visit to Spirit of St. Louis Airport, we joined Civil Air Patrol 1Lt. Joe Morris, Commander of the Wentzville Composite Squadron, as he prepared to fly Aerospace Education Member Michelle Bobo on her Teacher Orientation Program Flight. Michelle Bobo is a K-6 Gifted Education Educator with the Washington, MO School District Challenge Program who uses materials provided by the Civil Air Patrol to augment her curriculum. The hour-long flight was provided as part of the Aerospace Education Membership, and it was her first flight in a general aviation aircraft. She participated in the flight from pushing the aircraft out of the hanger, to flying it and cleaning off the bugs afterward. "It was exciting," she told The Aero Experience after she returned from the flight that took them near the Washington Regional Airport along the edge of a weather front moving slowly away from the St. Louis area. We captured some views of the launch and recovery of the flight as shown below:

The Aero Experience thanks 1Lt. Joe Morris and Michelle Bobo for sharing their flight experience with us. We also encourage anyone interested in becoming a member of Civil Air Patrol to visit the website for details on programs and membership types. For a brief overview on the Civil Air Patrol, see our previous post, Civil Air Patrol Presents History, Mission and Opportunities to Serve at Missouri Aviation Historical Society Meeting, from earlier this year.