More than 20 high school seniors from eight states gathered at Saint Louis University’s hangar at St. Louis Downtown Airport the week of June 10, 2024, for the annual Aviation Summer Academy.
The students learned flight basics using flight simulators, heard from guest speakers about careers, and stepped into the cockpit of different aircraft to gain hands-on experience, while also experiencing the thrill of flight, according to officials with the university’s Oliver L. Parks Department of Aviation.
The program featured a variety of workshops and training about flight science, aviation management, aerial navigation, aircraft design, unmanned aerial vehicles, and air traffic control, according to university officials.
Flight simulators introduce them to flying concepts, but it is the opportunity to take to the skies themselves that makes this camp a life-changing experience, they added.
Guided by a CFI, each student had the opportunity to take off from St. Louis Downtown Airport and fly over the Mississippi River, where they were presented with a view of St. Louis City and the Gateway Arch.
“I really enjoyed my flight,” said Cason Brinkley, 15, a student at Cleveland Central High School in Cleveland, Mississippi, who flew in a Diamond DA-20. “It was my first time flying with the joystick, so it was all new to me. The academy has allowed me to learn and experience so many new things.”
Several SLU students help with the academy activities each year, offering experience and advice to the aspiring aviators, including Tyler DeBettignies, a flight science major.
“There’s a lot of people that come here who have never flown before, and it is good for them to try it out,” he said. “I had a flight before I decided to come here, and that was why I decided to choose aviation.”
Over the course of the week, academy attendees learned key aviation skills, such as how to preflight an aircraft, read and create aerial maps, use several flight instruments and log hours, and learn basic aerodynamics. They also participated in tours at Spirit of St. Louis Airport and at St. Louis Lambert International Airport on the Missouri side of the Mississippi River, seeing behind-the-scenes operations, including a visit to the Air Traffic Control tower.
Another highlight of the week included a static display of U.S. Navy aircraft at St. Louis Downtown Airport and the opportunity to chat with Navy pilots about their career paths.
The skills learned are important to any aviator, but it is the experience of the camp itself that Assistant Chief Flight Instructor Ryan Boyer feels matters most. Boyer has been with SLU’s Oliver L. Parks Department of Aviation Science since graduating from it in 2009, but he has been flying since he was 13 years old.
“Some students have previous aviation experience but most of them have never been in the cockpit,” Boyer said. “We expose them to what it’s like if they were to be pursuing flight training in the future. It’s a great career to get into, especially nowadays where we have so many opportunities present in the industry.”
The states represented among this year’s campers included Illinois, Missouri, Mississippi, California, Kansas, Ohio, Tennessee and Texas.
For more information: StLouisDowntownAirport.com, SLU.edu