Wings of Hope Summer Interns Attend Final Session, Take Young Eagle Flights

By Carmelo Turdo

Wings of Hope continues to change and save lives through the power of aviation in St. Louis and around the world. For sixty years, Wings of Hope has been providing or supporting global humanitarian aviation services to communities in Africa, the Asia Pacific region and South America. For the last 21 of those years, the Medical Relief and Air Transport Program (MAT) has been providing air transportation for patients and their families to medical facilities around the Midwest. Wings of Hope also looks to the future of humanitarian aviation with the more recent introduction of SOAR Into STEM, a five-weekend course held twice each year that introduces the concepts of aeronautics to high school students and provides hands-on experiences including a flight in a general aviation aircraft. These and other programs directly contribute to achieving the mission of Wings of Hope now and well into the future.

The final session of the Soar & Explore Summer Internship for high school and vocational students was held on Thursday. Over the last four weeks, the students met at Wings of Hope and received practical insights into the aviation industry as they nurtured their interest in aviation careers. The theme of the day was airport operations and flying, so the students met with veteran pilots Jim Moffat and Tom Moors for a session on aeronautical chart reading and airport signage interpretation. After waiting for a break in the weather, the students were given Young Eagle Flights by members of EAA Chapter 1675 based at Wings of Hope. One of the interns, Lauren, is a student pilot and she received .5 hours of logged time during her flight with Mike Piccirilli.

The Aero Experience thanks Wings of Hope, EAA Chapter 1675 and everyone who contributed to this successful summer intern program. Look for our coverage of the Fall Session of SOAR Into STEM and other youth development programs at Wings of Hope.