Wings of Hope Soar Into STEM Students Take Flight at Elite Aviation

Eight students from the

By Carmelo Turdo

Wings of Hope Soar Into STEM Program received Discovery Flights Monday from Elite Aviation at Spirit of St. Louis Airport. The Soar Into STEM Program held eight virtual sessions covering aviation and aerospace topics in June and July, culminating in this flight experience with a Certified Flight Instructor. Three aircraft took off in the morning with two students each, one getting the chance to fly from the front seat and one in the back seat, on their way to Washington, MO Regional Airport where the students switched places for the return flight. An additional flight took off in the afternoon with two more students getting the same flight experience. For most of the students it was their first flight in a general aviation aircraft, and several expressed interest in pursuing careers in the aviation field.

Students from the participating Kirkwood, Jennings, Ferguson-Florissant, Lindbergh, Rockwood and University City School Districts participated in this year's program. Soar Into STEM provides the opportunity for students to apply science, technology, engineering and mathematics skills while supporting the Wings of Hope humanitarian aviation mission. 

Here we feature the students meeting with Bret Heinrich, President and CEO of Wings of Hope, and the Soar Into STEM Program mentors:

The Aero Experience thanks Wings of Hope, Elite Aviation and all who contributed to make Soar Into STEM a great success.