Girls In Aviation Day Hosted by Women In Aviation St. Louis at Wings of Hope

By Carmelo Turdo

Women In Aviation St. Louis - Women With Wings Chapter, held Girls In Aviation Day at Wings of Hope, Spirit of St. Louis Airport, on Saturday morning. The event, part of a week-long series of programs around the country leading up to Women In Aviation Day, featured a large number of local aviation and aerospace industry exhibitors along with several aircraft displays. Girls In Aviation Day was the result of many months of effort put forth by chapter members Alexis Noel, Amy Hartweger, Jill Rempala, Rebecca Emmanuel, Beth Campbell and Josh Faibisoff. We thank them and all who contributed to making it a great success!

The Aero Experience begins our coverage with a look at the exhibitors in the Wings of Hope hangar. Areas of interest included flight schools, aviation youth organizations, STEM programs, military services and other related career fields. Here we feature a survey of the exhibits along with a photo (second below) featuring owner/operators of Piston Aviation, Gateway Flight training and STL Flight Training with Women In Aviation St. Louis member Jill Rempala. Also included here are group photos of the exhibitors and the visitors present at the time of the photo opportunity (a fraction of the total attending).

Several of the exhibitors brought aircraft for display outside of the hangar to give the visitors an interactive experience with the equipment used in the general aviation industry. We believe that aviation is best experienced first-hand in the airport environment, and the guests at Girls In Aviation Day could actually climb aboard the aircraft and talk to the pilots who flew them to the event. We thank STL Flight Training, Piston Aviation and the Gateway Youth Aeronautical Foundation for providing these potentially life-changing opportunities.  

STL Flight Training, based at St. Louis Downtown Airport, brought one of their Cessna 172 fleet training and rental aircraft along with their hangar exhibit. STL Flight Training offers instruction for Private Pilot, Commercial Pilot, Certified Flight Instructor (CFI and CFII) and Instrument Rating in their student-friendly Cessna and Piper aircraft. The combination of a customized training program, student mentorship and the love of aviation add to the personal and professional satisfaction of flying with STL Flight Training.

Piston Aviation, based at Creve Coeur Airport, flew in their Piper Cherokee 160 that has been donated for the upcoming Future Pilots Fund raffle to support aviation education scholarships. Piston Aviation offers instruction for Sport Pilot, Private Pilot, Commercial Pilot, Certified Flight Instructor (CFI/CFII) and Instrument Rating in their Bristell LSA and Piper training and rental fleet. Piston Aviation is also a sponsor of the Gateway Youth Aeronautical Foundation, featured below.

The Gateway Youth Aeronautical Foundation (GYAF) flew in their Bell Helicopter TH-67, the U.S. Army trainer version of the 206B-3 Jet Ranger recently retired from military service. The Foundation's TH-67 serves as a flying exhibit for outreach events like Girls In Aviation Day. The GYAF is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to inspire youth interest in aviation through practical experiences and programs, including the very popular eight-week Intro to Flight V/R simulation and ground school course. Here we feature Faith Ortega, Airframe and Powerplant Technician, who takes great care of the TH-67. You can follow her on the HowtoHelicopter social media pages.

The Aero Experience thanks Women In Aviation St. Louis and everyone who participated in this outstanding Girls In Aviation Day! We especially thank Wings of Hope, the humanitarian nonprofit organization that changes and saves lives through aviation here and around the world, for hosting the event.