Wings of Hope Hosts Aviation Career Exploration Fair

By Carmelo Turdo

Wings of Hope hosted a Career Exploration Fair on Saturday morning to close out the Spring SOAR Into STEM Session. Students from around the St. Louis area met directly with representatives from higher education institutions, aviation industry employers and youth development organizations who are working together to address the current aerospace industry workforce shortage. Here we include a look at some of the exhibitors interacting with the students and parents throughout the fair.

Wicks Aircraft Supply Increases Product Lines, Offers Family Tradition of Customer Service Excellence

By Carmelo Turdo

Wicks Aircraft Supply is the go-to resource for experimental aircraft builders and aviation maintenance facilities nation-wide, with over 20,000 products currently in stock. That is impressive, but there is much more to this family business than a storefront and warehouse in a small Midwestern town. Three generations and over 118 years later, the Wicks name is still synonymous with unmatched customer service and an expanding array of raw material and product offerings.

The Aero Experience recently visited Wicks Aircraft Supply to meet with third generation owner Scott Wick and his staff to learn more about the business and get a first-hand look at the operation on a typical weekday. We were warmly welcomed and integrated with the general workflow of the employees, with several taking the time to explain their roles in the company. Our interview with Scott Wick, and a behind-the-scenes tour of the warehouse, are featured in the video at the end of this post. 

We begin our story with the original Wick family business, a jewelry store owned by Scott Wick's great grandfather in the Swiss community of Highland, IL at the turn of the century. Scott Wick's grandfather, also an organist, with his two brothers, combined their jeweler, watchmaker and cabinetmaker skills to manufacture a pipe organ for their local church. Soon other churches ordered their own pipe organs, and Wicks Organ Company began operations in 1906. The original pipe organ, named Opus 1, is now in the shop getting refurbished back to original working order. Each additional pipe organ has an Opus number, and the current production number is Opus 6478. Scott Wick shows us the workings of Opus 1 below.

During World War II, the federal government appropriated raw materials for the war effort. Wicks Organ Company adapted to this situation by producing war materiel, including wings for USAAF trainers, bomber crew seats, and similar items that introduced the company to the aviation industry. In the early 1970s, the practicality of supplying aviation parts and materials became apparent when one of the organ company's supervisors built a Bowers Fly Baby from the spruce wood and other materials sold there. It did not take long to convince Martin Wick, then the company's second-generation President and private pilot, and Vice President George Gibbons, the company pilot, that providing aviation materials was a viable business opportunity. Their initial build, an experimental KR-2, was a hit at the 1974 Oshkosh, WI EAA Fly-In. In 1975, The Wicks Aircraft Supply Company was born, and it was moved from the Wicks Organ Company factory to a new facility across the street.

Before long, the new Wicks Aircraft Supply Company sold hundreds of KR-2 "kits," which at the time only included the type and quantity of raw materials needed to complete the project. The builders did all of the construction according to their abilities without the aid of pre-drilled parts or sub-assemblies. The Wicks Aircraft Supply catalogue continued to grow, adding new lines of foam, fiberglass and epoxies needed for Rutan and Paul Poberezny designs. 

"Since we've learned to give good customer service and have a wide variety of parts, we're still very strong in the aviation world," Scott Wick told The Aero Experience. "We're branching out to new markets. A good part of our business comes from outside the aviation world today. We have people making monster trucks out of the steel that we sell, and aluminum to make lighting products. Some of our materials go into vehicles used by the military." 

Wicks Aircraft supply continues to provide the latest materials, including carbon fiber, Kevlar and specialty aluminum forms that go into many current finished products. They recently acquired the Carlson Company's airfoil-shaped, extruded aluminum strut product line that features interior flat attachment points for installation over internal spars. This feature increases the strength and adaptability of the struts to aviation, automotive and sport equipment industries to name a few.  

The Wicks Organ Company has recently moved their operation to the Wicks Aircraft Supply facility. The consolidated operation makes efficient use of the space, with the talented craftsmen building and restoring pipe organs beside their aircraft materials service counterparts. Our visit continues in the retail showroom, where we were met by General Manager Amy Ligibel. Many sample products are displayed along the wall and on shelves for customer convenience. This is a great place to start when looking for new or replacement parts, and the customer service staff are ready to assist with any questions.  

"Customers come in, they bring their parts and do comparisons for identifying the exact product that they need," Ligibel remarked as she pointed out some of the most requested items such as tubing, fittings, fasteners, bearings and more. Counter service goes smoothly in large part thanks to the behind-the-scenes work of the warehouse staff.  

One of the customer service technicians, 22-year employee Keith Gibbs, took some time to explain the order fulfillment process and show us around the warehouse. Gibbs is involved at all stages of the process, and he is known for having an encyclopedic knowledge of part numbers. He is shown here at the order intake station and is featured in the video below.  

"It's more a family atmosphere than a business," Gibbs replied when asked about his longevity with the company. "We all know each other, we all care about each other. It's very customer-oriented rather than straight, bare-bones...We take care of our customers. It's a good place to work."

As mentioned above, the Wicks Organ Company operates side-by-side with the Wicks Aircraft Supply business, and during our visit we took a step back in time to see the refurbishment of an 1890s pipe organ from a church in Gordonville, MO. Here we show a craftsman completing the stencil artwork, including gold leaf application, on the zinc pipes. Also, Scott Wick points out some Wicks Organ Company innovations used on their products over the last century as they progressed from pneumatic to electric organ production.   

The Aero Experience thanks Scott Wick and his staff at Wicks Aircraft Supply and Wicks Organ Company for their hospitality during our visit. We hope you have gained a new appreciation for this century-old family business that continues innovate and grow. Contact Wicks Aircraft Supply today for the parts and materials needed for your next project.

2024 SOAR Into STEM Spring Session 4: Uncrewed Aerial Vehicles

By Carmelo Turdo

SOAR Into STEM Spring Session 4 was held at Wings of Hope on Saturday. This week's theme was Uncrewed Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), especially in their application to humanitarian aviation service. The students were introduced to commercial uses for UAVs and flew camera-equipped quadcopters through an obstacle course using an app. Leading the final regular session in this series was Lee Ann Nolte, Education Programs Manager for Wings of Hope, with help from a host of volunteer mentors.

Student teams learned to operate the Tello app-based, camera-equipped quadcopters that were used demonstrate the flight characteristics of most small 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 on their pads and maneuvering through the hoops of an obstacle course.

A special guest speaker, Dr. Srikanth Gururajan, St. Louis University Associate Professor of Aerospace Engineering, captured the attention of the students with his presentation on the UAV projects under development at the university's Unmanned Aerial Systems laboratory. The program's goal is to improve aviation safety through testing engineering applications using UAVs, artificial intelligence and virtual reality technologies. In the future, UAVs (and possibly crewed aircraft) will be able to update their own mission profiles in flight, fly in swarms controlled by single operators and change their shape to navigate through obstructions without becoming unstable. These and other applications are currently under development by undergraduate and graduate students pursuing Aerospace Engineering degrees.

Spring Session 4 concludes the formal Spring SOAR Into STEM Program, though there is more in store for this class. Next Saturday, a career fair is scheduled, and Young Eagle Flights will be provided by EAA Chapter 1675. The Aero Experience thanks everyone involved with the SOAR Into STEM Program, and we will continue to support this and other STEM programs throughout the coming year.