The Aero Experience Week In Review: Midwest Aviation Continues to Thrive and Innovate

By Carmelo Turdo and Fred Harl

The Aero Experience looks back on another great week with the Midwest Aviation community. Flight training schools and youth programs continue to thrive as the demand for more pilots and aviation specialists of all types far exceeds supply. Our coverage today focuses on the activities of three local St. Louis flight schools, several youth programs and a group of young professionals working together to enhance the lives of others here and around the world.

Creve Coeur Airport, Maryland Heights, MO

A new flight school is taking to the air at Creve Coeur Airport soon. Piston Aviation, owned by Joe and Meghen Ord, will hold their Grand Opening on August 6th at Hangar K2. Special rates for flight packages and discovery flights are available (see event link above). Piston Aviation offers flight training in their Piper Cherokee and the highly acclaimed Bristell LSA along with being the Midwest's Bristell dealership. More coverage of Piston Aviation is coming soon on The Aero Experience!

Gateway Flight Training, another flight school at Creve Coeur Airport, had a busy week training in their Piper Cherokee and Archer aircraft. During our visit last week, we caught up with student John preparing for his solo flight with CFI Alan. Several aircraft were being serviced in their maintenance hangar as well. Gateway Flight Training continues to see growth in their student population and is looking to expand their fleet in the near future. 

  

Spirit of St. Louis Airport, Chesterfield, MO

Another generation of aviators is in the making at Elite Aviation. Entering their sixth year of operations, Elite Aviation continues to serve more students and add new Cessna 172S aircraft to their fleet at a rapid pace. Along with their formal flight training program and aircraft maintenance services, Elite Aviation gives back to the community through support of aviation STEM programs throughout the year. They are a founding sponsor of the Red Tail Cadet Program, now in its second year, providing flight training and mentoring to high school students selected by the Ferguson-Florissant School District. The Class of 2022 was inducted in April and has been in training with Elite Aviation CFIs throughout the summer. 

Last Wednesday, six aircraft carrying the five current Cadets and Captain Ruth Mann Scholarship winner, D.J. Beal from the Class of 2021, took off from Spirit of St. Louis Airport on their cross-country training flight to Cape Girardeau and Sikeston, MO airports and back to St. Louis. During the trip, the Cadets visited Southeast Missouri State University to be briefed on their Professional Pilot undergraduate program. After a short hop to Sikeston, the Cadets were joined by Elite Aviation owners John and Donna Tipton for a late lunch at Lambert's Cafe before the flight of seven returned to St. Louis. Complete coverage of the day's activities coming soon on The Aero Experience!

Spirit of St. Louis Airport to Cape Girardeau, MO Regional Airport

Visiting Southeast Missouri State University Professional Pilot Program

Flight from Cape Girardeau, MO Regional Airport to Sikeston, MO Memorial Municipal Airport and Lunch at Lambert's Cafe

Return Flight from Sikeston to St. Louis

Wings of Hope hosted their fifth annual Plane Wash fund raising event on Saturday. Members of the Wings of Hope Young Ambassadors and Alpha Eta Rho, the international professional college aviation fraternity with students from St. Louis University, spent the hot day washing and spray-waxing twelve aircraft to benefit international humanitarian programs. It was great to see Warren and Melissa Smith back for their second plane wash since winning their Beech Musketeer in the September 2020 Wings of Hope raffle. Melissa's one winning ticket was enough to provide a family of pilots with a great training and cruising aircraft! Complete coverage of this event is coming soon on The Aero Experience!

During our visit to Wings of Hope, we were pleased to meet Matt and Jeannine Condon from Samaritan Aviation as they prepared to ferry their Cessna U206 amphibian from St. Louis to EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2022. 

Farmington, MO Regional Airport

EAA Chapter 1635 sponsored Young Eagle Flights for youth aged 8-17 on Saturday at Farmington, MO Regional Airport. Young Eagle flights are provided without charge to those who register with parental consent. Over 40 Young Eagles flew, many of them with our friend and EAA Chapter 32 member Dave Brickhaus in his Piper Saratoga. "Larry Gregory, Chapter 1635 president, and the members of the chapter did an outstanding job organizing the event and keeping all participants hydrated and as cool as possible with temperatures over 100 degrees," Brickhaus told The Aero Experience. "One of the planes giving rides was the Wings of Hope Cherokee 180 raffle plane based out of Perryville."