Fall SOAR Into STEM Session Concludes with Career Fair, First Lesson Flights

By Carmelo Turdo

Wings of Hope hosted a Career Exploration Fair on Saturday morning to close out the Fall SOAR Into STEM Session. Students from around the St. Louis area met directly with representatives from higher education institutions, aviation industry employers and youth development organizations who are working together to address the current aerospace industry workforce shortage. Here we include a look at some of the exhibitors interacting with the students and parents throughout the fair.

The Fall SOAR Into STEM Session concluded Saturday afternoon on a high note as the students took their first lesson flights at Elite Aviation. Thirteen SOAR Into STEM high school students flew throughout the cold afternoon, getting 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 Washington, MO Regional 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 as well as 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 Fall Session a great success!