CAHOKIA HEIGHTS - Eighteen area high school juniors and seniors were introduced to the fascinating world of aviation during Southwestern Illinois College (SWIC)’s inaugural Aviation Summer Sampler Camp held July 11 through July 13. During the three-day camp, they learned about all aspects of aviation through a combination of hands-on experiences, panels with students and professionals, and presentations by special guest speakers. The highlight of the camp came on the final day, when campers and their families gathered at St. Louis Downtown Airport to close out their experience with a flight in the cockpit of a real plane.
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Throughout the camp, students expanded their knowledge of computer aided design, machining and aviation maintenance, learned flying concepts in flight simulators and had the opportunity to pilot drones in addition to learning about the exciting careers available in the industry.
Young Eagles pilots from the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) and pilots from AeroCareers volunteered to take the students flying. For some of the campers, it was their first time flying in the cockpit of a plane. Many had the opportunity to take the controls to help pilot the planes while in the air. For Jase Brentlinger, a participating student from Freeburg, Illinois, the camp was his first time in any type of plane.
“This was my first time flying. I thought it was one of the coolest things I’ve ever done in my life,” said Brentlinger. “We had to go around again because the runway wasn’t clear and then he let me take control for a little bit. That was really cool.”
In addition to seeing different types of aircraft on display and exploring the cockpits of those planes at
St. Louis Downtown Airport, campers also got a close-up look at another impressive piece of equipment. The airport’s massive firefighting vehicle can hold 3,000 gallons of water, 400 gallons of foam, 500 pounds of dry chemical, and 460 pounds of Halotron. The vehicle is 39 feet long and weighs 80,000 pounds when fully loaded with all firefighting agents.
“They were able to explore all the features of the vehicle, climb into the cab and even try on the firefighting gear as they learned about aircraft rescue and firefighting,” said Airport Director Sandra Shore. “It was another great example of just one of the many different types of careers available in the airport sector of the aviation industry.”
A variety of organizations, including Ideal Aviation, St. Louis Flight Training, the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Airforce, hosted information tables at the airport to speak with students about other potential careers and paths to take within the aviation industry.
“Today I got to talk to people at some of the tables and learn about different flight schools and different programs. I didn’t know there were two flight schools at the St. Louis Downtown Airport,” said Addison Brickey of Freeburg, Illinois. “Even if you don’t know what you want to be, I think going to camps like these is worth it because you get to know more information about a bunch of different programs.”
Communicating that information is a primary goal of the camp as it aims to raise awareness about the demand for aviation workers amid continuing labor shortages and to spark interest among participants in following one of the many career paths in the growing sector. The learning opportunities, exposure to the industry – including a tour of Gulfstream Aerospace Corp.’s facility at the airport -- and the thrill of flight has inspired campers as they look toward their futures.
“I found the aviation maintenance quite interesting,” said Ben Rey, from St. Jacob, Illinois. “I still want to be a pilot, but working on my own plane seems very interesting. I like cars and car engines and it’s actually pretty similar.”
Dr. Kelly Remijan, Ph.D., Director-at-Large for the Illinois Council of Teachers of Mathematics, was one of the coordinators for the camp, which she hopes will become an annual event.
“We are thrilled with the turn out and level of interest and enthusiasm from the campers,” said Remijan, who also serves as the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA-St. Louis Section) STEM Outreach Assistant. “We’re particularly appreciative to all of the volunteers and organizations who helped to make the summer camp possible.”
To learn more about the camp, access additional photos and video from the event and see the full list of participating organizations and volunteers, visit https://aiaastlstem.wixsite.com/swic-aviation-camp
St. Louis Downtown Airport is owned and operated by Bi-State Development and is located just east of downtown St. Louis on approximately one thousand acres in Illinois in the municipalities of Cahokia Heights and Sauget.
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