Red Tail Cadets Continue Flight Training at Elite Aviation

By Carmelo Turdo

Six high school students from the Ferguson-Florissant School District continue their flight training at Elite Aviation as part of the Red Tail Cadet Program Class of 2024. The program provides an intensive flight training course that is an integral part of their overall Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education. 

The Red Tail Cadet Program is a cooperative effort by the Ferguson-Florissant School District, The Crossing Church, Elite Aviation, Boeing and other sponsors to use aviation as a pathway to a STEM career. The program is named for the Red Tails of the 332nd Fighter Group, the first all-black military pilot unit that formed during World War II and popularly known today as the Tuskegee Airmen. The same drive and talent that made the Tuskegee Airmen legendary in war and in peace can be applied by these students in pursuit of their own future goals while participating in the Red Tail Cadet Program.

The Aero Experience visited Elite Aviation recently and captured these six aircraft doing some pattern work, each with a Cadet and CFI on board. Training will continue through mid-August when the Class of 2024 graduates.