Intro to Flight Sessions 12 and 13 Begin Eight-Week Journey Into Practical STEM Education

By Carmelo Turdo

The Gateway Youth Aeronautical Foundation hosted Sessions 12 and 13 of their Intro to Flight Program March 9 at Creve Coeur Airport. Each class of the eight-week session, led by Ground School Instructor Dave Kleinschmidt, covers a different aspect of flight through academic instruction and practical experience on state-of-the-art virtual reality flight simulators. The final class of each session features a written test and a scored flight pattern exercise flown on the V/R flight simulators. The session point leader is presented with a Top Gun Challenge Award, and all program graduates are eligible for a flight training scholarship from one of the program sponsors, Piston Aviation.

Here we feature the class photos and the students flying the simulators assisted by local pilots Anthony Tornabene and Billy Miller.

The Foundation’s V/R flight simulation lab provides a realistic flight experience, allowing the Intro to Flight Program participants to fly together in real time, at their own airport and with the actual weather conditions experienced that day. This use of the latest technology also provides a fair way to grade their Top Gun Challenge performance using the software's scoring system. 
 
Value-added activities include: inspirational talks by local pilots and aviation industry experts; pre-flight inspection and cockpit orientation in a general aviation aircraft; visits to the Piston Aviation flight training and maintenance hangars; Young Eagle and Discovery flight opportunities.

The Foundation relies on the financial generosity of sponsors and donors so that individual cost is never a prerequisite for youth to participate in activities provided by the Foundation. The Foundation seeks further financial and staffingsupport to continue and expand the scope and effectiveness of the current and future STEM aviation programs.