SOAR Into STEM Students Take to the Skies at Elite Aviation

By Carmelo Turdo

The Spring Session of the Wings of Hope SOAR Into STEM Program concluded Saturday on a high note with a day of first flight lessons at Elite Aviation. Twenty-eight SOAR Into STEM high school students gathered in shifts throughout the beautiful, sunny day, to get actual flight experience in Elite's late-model Cessna 172S training aircraft. Each flight took two students, one in the front left seat and the other in the back seat, to nearby St. Charles County Smartt Field Airport where the students switched seats for the return flight. CFIs guided each student through basic flight maneuvers and demonstrated the navigation techniques taught in a previous SOAR Into STEM class. For most it was their first flight in a general aviation aircraft, and for all but one of the students their first flight lesson.

SOAR Into STEM provides the opportunity for high-school students to apply science, technology, engineering and mathematics skills in the context of the Wings of Hope humanitarian aviation mission. Topics covered include Airplane Basics, Mechanics and Engineering, Navigation and Communication and Drone/Flight Opportunities. 

Here we present a pictorial review of the flights held throughout the day. The Aero Experience thanks Elite Aviation, Wings of Hope, Lead Instructor Robert Powell, the SOAR Into STEM students and everyone who worked to make the Spring Session a great success!