Boeing Engineer and STEM Mentor Participates in T-7A Red Hawk Human Factors Design Process

By Carmelo Turdo

The Aero Experience is very fortunate to work with many talented aviation and aerospace professionals, and our friend Marie Curia is an excellent example. You may recognize her as a student mentor for the Wings of Hope SOAR Into STEM program from our recent 2025 Spring Session series of posts. Her contributions to this aviation STEM program are invaluable as she guides the local high school students through their aeronautics projects and group activities. She brings a wealth of knowledge and real-world experience to SOAR Into STEM that compliments the contributions of the volunteers who make the program possible. 

Marie Curia's contributions to the aerospace industry are also quite impressive. She will be completing her Master's Degree in Aeronautics (Aviation Safety) in May and has been accepted into the Ph.D. in Aviation Program at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. After just over a year at the Boeing Company in St. Louis, she has been promoted to Level Two System Safety Engineer for the F-15 Program. She works with Roland Diaz, F-15 Lead System Safety Engineer at the Boeing Company, who serves as a guest speaker one week of each SOAR Into STEM session. Safety Engineering is relevant to the development of aircraft, their components, weapons and support assets that may affect operations under all known environments. The key is to enhance the effectiveness and survivability of the aircraft and crew while preserving mission capabilities. The safety and reliability records of Boeing fighter aircraft over the decades proves the value of this sector of aeronautical engineering.

Boeing Company photo via Marie Curia

Marie Curia recently participated in the human factors design process for the new Boeing T-7A Red Hawk jet trainer cockpit. She answered a request to join a representative sample pool based on height, weight, age, sex and ethnicity to provide crew measurement data. Curia describes the experience: 

I had an opportunity at work with the T-7 Human Factors Team to be a part of their anthropometric evaluation in an active jet! The day of [the evaluation] I was in athletic wear, and they started off taking my measurements such as my arm, leg, core, hand, wrist, finger, and total body lengths. After my measurements, I was fitted into a flight suit and harness. From there I loaded into the pilot seat, buckled in, and adjusted the rudder pedals to my desired length. Then we started the test with the harness in the locked position, and I would reach for different items in and out of the cockpit and they had a tool which would measure how far I could reach. The tool would essentially build a 3D model of arm length in the cockpit. There was also a photographer who was taking pictures of every movement as well. Then we did the same test with the harness in the unlocked position. As you can see in the photos, I had a flight helmet on and off. They wanted to see the seat height range in comparison with the canopy. We then repeated the same test in the back seat.

Boeing Company photo via Marie Curia

Boeing Company photo via Marie Curia

Boeing Company photo via Marie Curia

The Aero Experience thanks Marie Curia for sharing this special inside look into the engineering behind the world's leading tactical military aircraft made here in St. Louis at the Boeing Company. Flight testing continues as four additional pre-production Red Hawk jets are added to the test fleet this year. Production is slated to begin in fiscal year 2026.

Boeing Company photo

News Release: March Passenger Traffic at MidAmerica St. Louis Airport Soars to New Record

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                       

Media Contact:  

Merisa Ashbaugh 

Merisa@hausergrouppr.com 

 

MARCH PASSENGER TRAFFIC AT MIDAMERICA ST. LOUIS AIRPORT SOARS TO NEW RECORD WITH MORE THAN 40,000 PASSENGERS SERVED

           

MASCOUTAH, Ill. (April 24, 2025) – MidAmerica St. Louis Airport today announced a new record of more than 40,000 passengers served during the month of March, continuing an overall trend of positive passenger growth. The airport saw a 47% increase in passenger traffic compared to March 2024, when 27,000 passengers traveled through its terminal. This noteworthy milestone in passenger growth also marks a 23% increase from March 2022, which held the previous record of more than 32,000 passengers.

 

“The sustained growth at MidAmerica Airport is very exciting and it’s due to numerous factors,” said St. Clair County Chairman Mark Kern. “Passengers can count on easy access from Interstate 64, hassle-free parking and efficient airport and security operations, and they appreciate Allegiant’s strong route network serving several popular vacation spots at affordable rates.”

MidAmerica St. Louis Airport offers nonstop flights year-round or on a seasonal basis to a host of popular destinations, including Destin/Ft. Walton Beach, Ft. Lauderdale, Ft. Myers/Punta Gorda, Gulf Shores, Jacksonville, Knoxville, Las Vegas, Myrtle Beach, Orlando/Sanford, Sarasota/Bradenton, Savannah, and Tampa Bay/St. Pete. Departures increased by 56% in March of this year compared to 2024, and with the new non-stop flights to Gulf Shores launching May 23, airport leadership is expecting a record-breaking summer ahead.

 

“This is a significant achievement for our airport, particularly as travel demand continues to grow and more people seek out new leisure destinations,” said Darren James, Director of MidAmerica St. Louis Airport. “We are excited to continue to add new routes and also are enthusiastic about the progress being made on our new General Aviation Facility and Federal Inspection Station which will enable the airport to attract additional aircraft and airlines and pave the way for the processing of international commercial flights.”

 

The new 25,277-square-foot facility is the latest development in a series of expansion and modification projects made at MidAmerica St. Louis Airport over the past few years to accommodate continuing passenger enplanement growth. A $34 million terminal expansion completed in June 2023 nearly doubled the size of the existing terminal and included a variety of amenities to enhance the experience for those traveling through the airport. An additional $37.7 million investment added nearly 3,100 linear feet of new Taxiway Lima pavement and a new Taxiway Bridge over Crooked Creek that was completed in the same summer. The project provided airfield access to an aviation business park on the south side of MidAmerica St. Louis Airport that is anchored by Boeing’s new $200 million, 300,000-square-foot production facility. There the company will begin building the MQ-25 Stingray, the Navy’s first operational, carrier-based, unmanned, aerial refueling aircraft in the coming months.

 

To learn more about MidAmerica St. Louis Airport, visit flymidamerica.com.

 

About MidAmerica St. Louis Airport   

MidAmerica St. Louis Airport is located in Mascoutah, Illinois, in the eastern portion of the St. Louis metropolitan area. Passenger service to a variety of popular destinations is offered by Allegiant. Major multimodal rail and inland port centers are located within 22 miles of the airport, which also enjoys easy access to five interstate highways via I-64.  With parallel runways of 8,000 and 10,000 feet, the airport can handle simultaneous take-offs and landings in all conditions, minimizing delays. It has an annual capacity of 200,000 operations. Tenants include Boeing, which has a manufacturing facility at the airport and North Bay Produce, an international, grower-owned, year-round, fresh produce marketing and distribution cooperative headquartered in Traverse City, Mich. MidAmerica is a Joint Use Airport partnering with Scott AFB, the home to US Transportation Command, a multi service organization, and Air Mobility Command, the USAF’s component command for airlift. MidAmerica and the 375th Air Mobility Wing operate Scott AFB/MidAmerica St. Louis Airport.     

(MidAmerica St. Louis Airport photo)

2025 SOAR Into STEM Spring Session 4: Aircraft Mechanics

By Carmelo Turdo

High school students from the St. Louis area and neighboring counties participated in the fourth of four spring sessions of the Wings of Hope SOAR Into STEM Program on Saturday. SOAR Into STEM provides opportunities 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.

In Session 4, led by Wings of Hope Education Programs Manager Lee Ann Nolte and a team of volunteer mentors, the students were introduced to tasks performed by aircraft mechanics using essential skills needed in the aviation industry: installing and removing Cleco fasteners, adjusting control cable tension, gapping and testing spark plugs, applying safety wire and inspecting aircraft for defects and corrosion. Here we show a sample of each activity as the groups rotated through each station.

The student teams participated in another engineering project - design and build a working catapult for competition at the end of the session. Awards were given for the winning teams!

SOAR Into STEM will continue on May 3 with Discovery Flight/Career Fair Day. The Aero Experience thanks Wings of Hope and everyone who contributed to another great SOAR Into STEM session.

2025 SOAR Into STEM Spring Session 3: Aeronautical Engineering and Uncrewed Aerial Vehicles

By Carmelo Turdo

High school students from the St. Louis area and neighboring counties participated in the third of four spring sessions of the Wings of Hope SOAR Into STEM Program on Saturday. SOAR Into STEM provides opportunities 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.

In Session 3, led by Wings of Hope Education Programs Manager Lee Ann Nolte and a team of volunteer mentors, the students were introduced to a systematic approach to aircraft design through a series of activities. An outstanding presentation provided by a Boeing Company engineer transformed theory into practice by using a current jet fighter program as an example of engineering and production excellence right here in St. Louis. 

The session began with a review of the Navigation and Communication concepts covered in the previous session, including the essential knowledge of the U.S. Airspace System and proper communication methods used between aircraft and Air Traffic Control. Also, Wings of Hope volunteer mentor David Harrington briefed the students on the upcoming EAA Young Eagles flights and gave out the registration paperwork. The students will fly in general aviation aircraft during the Career Fair/Young Eagles Flight day on May 3.

The main activity on the Aeronautical Engineering topic was the installation of an electrical system on a foam aircraft cutout. One objective was to mount a circuit to the aircraft so that two electric motors would run their propellers powered by a battery pack with a switch. Another objective was to add a circuit running navigation lights on the wingtips and tail controlled by a second switch off the same battery pack. Student teams worked on this project throughout the session.

The session's guest speaker was Roland Diaz, F-15 Lead System Safety Engineer at the Boeing Company in St. Louis. His education and work experience include a B.S. in Aerospace Engineering from Texas A&M University and internship and co-op job opportunities in the aerospace field before becoming a full-time Reliability and Maintainability Engineer and now Safety Engineer at Boeing. He is primarily assigned to the F-15 variants produced and supported by Boeing, and occasionally applies his talents to the T-7 Red Hawk and other Boeing military products. Safety Engineering is relevant to the development of aircraft, their components, weapons and support assets that may affect operation under all known environments. 

Diaz described the evolution of aviation system safety with several illustrations, including one chart showing the progression from the trial and error of the Wright Brothers to component analysis, fault-tree analysis and the current modeling methods that incorporate engineering and testing data from around the world. The emphasis of safety engineering is primarily employed in the development side of a system (aircraft) - identifying and reducing acceptable risk - but safety engineering may also be used to develop a solution when a part of the aircraft fails to perform as expected in service.

The students learned to operate the Tello app-based, camera-equipped quadcopters to demonstrate the flight characteristics of most small uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs). Once internet communication with the UAVs was established, a buzzing swarm took to the air. After a little practice, most of the students were landing the quadcopters in their hands and maneuvering through the hoops of an obstacle course.

Session 3 concluded with a student breakout session with their volunteer mentors. Topics of discussion within the groups included a review of current and past session material as well as education and career opportunities available to the students now and in the future. Students rotate among the mentors each session, creating a dynamic atmosphere of creative thinking and appreciation for the contributions of each participant.

SOAR Into STEM will continue this Saturday with Session 4, followed by Discovery Flight/ Career Fair Day. The Aero Experience thanks Wings of Hope and everyone who contributed to another great SOAR Into STEM session.