Kaden was both nervous and excited to fly with his STEM Flight Pilot Mentor Dave Brubaker in October 2019.
He was approved for a STEM Flight after being nominated by his mother, Kendra, and having completed the online application.
STEM Flights is an introductory program that requires students to do some homework before their first flight, then work with a pilot mentor to conduct a “mission.” STEM Flight pilot mentors are in a number of states and the program continues to expand. Click here to find out more about the program.
While Kaden was a middle school student interested in science, he had never flown in a small aircraft — but he knew it would be fun and educational. He’s fascinated with all things aviation and imagined one day he might learn how to fly or pursue a career in the aviation industry. He just had no idea how to get started.
Brubaker, the founder of STEM Flights and perhaps its busiest pilot mentor, remembers Kaden as “a little guy who was pretty quiet, but very attentive.”
Small for his age, a cushion under the co-pilot seat helped him get a better view out the windscreen.
During the flight, Brubaker performed maneuvers and procedures that demonstrated STEM concepts while Kaden completed his Student Checklist. They talked about principles of flight, aircraft performance, and multiple career paths related to aviation. Kaden even got a little “hands-on” flying during the STEM mission.
But he was still quiet during the debrief, so Brubaker wasn’t sure if the flight had made an impact on Kaden.
But he also knew that “sometimes the quiet ones could still be excited and motivated inside.”
It didn’t take long before feedback reached the STEM Flights team that Kaden was hooked on aviation. Like all other students who complete a STEM Flight, he was enrolled into the STEM Flight Following program after the flight experience, which gives students additional resources, such as access to scholarship databases, aviation career exploration, and STEM educational opportunities.
Prior to starting his junior year of high school in the fall of 2021, Kaden reached out to the STEM Flights team and asked if the organization could help him secure an internship at his local airport. He was willing to do anything related to aviation.
The team at STEM Flights Following went the extra mile and put out a call to all the tenants at Kaden’s local airport.
Within a few months, he was offered a position with On Wing Avionics at Winchester Regional Airport (KOKV) in Virginia, assisting with shop projects and learning about avionics in all types of aircraft.
Working after school and weekends when able, he excelled in his internship, STEM Flights officials noted.
“Kaden not only grew in stature since his STEM Flight experience, he also grew in confidence and exuberance for aviation,” officials said. “Kaden exemplifies the mission of STEM Flights: Changing the lives of kids one flight at a time.”
“After the STEM Flight experience, I knew that aviation was the right path for me,” Kaden said. “After starting my internship, I learned about many different careers that aviation offers. That first experience at the airport opened my eyes to all the possibilities.”
For more information on STEM Flights, go to STEMFlights.org