Women In Aviation St. Louis Chapter Hosts Blue Angels STEM Program During Spirit of St. Louis Airshow Appearance

By Carmelo Turdo

Women with Wings, the St. Louis chapter of Women in Aviation International, hosted a "Girls in STEM: Meet the Blue Angels!" program Friday, June 5, at Creve Coeur Airport. The event coincided with the appearance of the U.S. Navy Blue Angels at the Spirit of St. Louis Airshow and STEM Expo last weekend, adding another excellent outreach opportunity for the local community to meet members of the Navy's elite demonstration team. "Girls in STEM" was held at the new Wings Industry Network hangar, and the Gateway Youth Aeronautical Foundation provided their F-4 Phantom cockpit exhibit. 

After registration and seating of the guests, two members of the U.S. Navy Blue Angels were introduced by the Women with Wings Board of Directors: LCDR Natalia Luchetti, Maintenance Officer, and Petty Officer Masha Burger, Logistics Specialist First Class on the maintenance team. They both shared valuable insights into their careers, their motivation to join the U.S. Navy and their current responsibilities with the Blue Angels. The 90-minute session also included a meet-and-greet opportunity for all attendees.

LCDR Luchetti, a native of Mayaguez, Puerto Rico, enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 2001 as a Boatswain's Mate, taking on ship steering and refueling duties. While aboard the aircraft carrier USS Kitty Hawk, she changed her career track to aviation maintenance, serving through the rank of Chief Petty Officer and later commissioned as an Aviation Maintenance Duty Officer in 2014. She currently manages the maintenance function for the Blue Angels fleet of 27 Super Hornets (7 per deployment) and the C-130J Super Hercules support aircraft, including troubleshooting issues with the aircraft during airshow performances. LCDR Luchetti is the first female Maintenance Officer in the 80-year history of the Blue Angels.

Petty Officer Masha Burger, from Kansas City, KS, is a Logistics Specialist First Class in the Logistics Department of the Blue Angels. She enlisted in the U.S. Navy at the age of 27 following a stagnating career at Starbucks and went into the Logistics Specialist track. After eight years of service, including aircraft carrier duty, Petty Officer Burger's service excellence was recognized by her appointment to the elite Blue Angels.

Following their opening remarks, Commander Luchetti and Petty Officer Burger answered questions from the audience. Their presentation can be viewed on the accompanying video:

The Aero Experience thanks Women with Wings and all of the sponsors and attendees for making this outreach even so successful. See The Aero Experience coverage of the airshow in our previous post: U.S. Navy Blue Angels and Canadian Forces Snowbirds Headline Spirit of St. Louis Airshow and STEM Expo. 

Creve Coeur Airport: May Events, General Aviation Activity and Construction Projects Usher in Summer Flying Season

By Carmelo Turdo

Few places exemplify the heart of general aviation like Creve Coeur Airport, having a unique variety of personal aircraft, businesses and non-profit organizations working together to promote Midwest Aviation. The Aero Experience features Creve Coeur Airport in our coverage often throughout the year, and May is when we see a burst of activity pointing toward a busy summer. Here we include some of our recent coverage, along with previews of stories coming soon here and on The Aero Experience YouTube Channel.

Airport Construction Project Progresses Through May

During the entire month of May, Creve Coeur Airport will implement a planned pavement improvement project that includes a replacing the asphalt on the taxiway for Runway 16/34 with concrete and restriping the taxiways leading to the hangar rows. The airport has regularly communicated the status updates, with the following graphics provided in their recent Facebook posts and photos from our visit on May 12.

Army Aviation Heritage Foundation Gateway Chapter Ride Day, May 2

The Gateway Chapter of the Army Aviation Heritage Foundation held their first St. Louis ride day event of the year on May 2 at Creve Coeur Airport. The chapter's Vietnam War veteran Huey and Cobra helicopters were busy throughout the day, giving their riders unforgettable flight experiences. This event follows the winter maintenance cycle covered in a previous post and sets the stage for participation in a host of regional events this summer. Here we show the Huey being towed to the fuel pumps and the Cobra working a few more flights in the afternoon.

T-35A Buckaroo Makes Local Flight After Eight-Year Restoration 

Also on May 2, a very special flight took place marking the return of the Temco T-35A Buckaroo restored by Bill and Will Kientz. This aircraft was one of two imported to the U.S. from Saudi Arabia in 1977 as part of an RSAF restoration project for the Swift Museum completed in 1985. Following work on the RSAF project, including appearances at events until its permanent display at the Swift Museum, the remaining Buckaroo restoration was taken over by Bill Kientz and later Will to the current time. More detailed coverage coming soon on The Aero Experience. 

   

Gateway Flight Training Adds Citabria to Training Fleet

Gateway Flight Training, the flight training and aircraft maintenance center based at Creve Coeur Airport, has introduced a Citabria aircraft to their training fleet. This aircraft is ideal for obtaining a conventional gear (tail wheel) endorsement as well as for learning upset recovery skills. Here we include some views of their Citabria, Piper Arrow, Cherokee and the busy maintenance hangar during our visit on May 12.

Creve Coeur Airport Hosts FAA Wings Safety Day, May 16 

The spring Wings Safety Day Seminar was hosted by John Teipen at the newly renovated Wings Industry Network hangar. The program included presentations by local aviation experts addressing practical issues experienced at the airport and in general aviation operations. Special thanks to Gateway Flight Training for providing guest speakers and promoting the event.