23 High School Students from Across the U.S. and Abroad Experienced Hands-On Flight Training and Took Flight During Immersive Weeklong Camp
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[CAHOKIA HEIGHTS, IL/JULY 3, 2025] Saint Louis University’s (SLU) Oliver L. Parks Department of Aviation Science welcomed aspiring aviators to its annual Aviation Summer Academy the week of June 22, offering high school upperclassmen a unique opportunity to explore the many career paths available in the field of aviation. More than 20 students from across the U.S. and abroad gathered at SLU’s hangar at St. Louis Downtown Airport in Cahokia Heights and Sauget, Illinois, diving into both classroom instruction and hands-on learning. From piloting to aerospace engineering and airport operations, the program is designed to help students discover where their interests align within the industry.
The program features a variety of workshops and training through which students are taught aviation operations basics throughout the week using innovative technology. At the end of the week, campers gain extensive knowledge about flight science, aviation management, aerial navigation, aircraft design, and unmanned aerial vehicles and become familiar with the aviation industry and the careers it offers. Flight simulators introduce them to flying concepts, but it’s the opportunity to fly themselves that makes this camp a life-changing experience.
Each student took to the skies, guided by a certified SLU instructor, twice during the week, first with a discovery flight early in the program, followed later by a longer cross-country flight. On their initial flight, students flew above the SLU hangar and over the Mississippi River. Many even got a bird’s-eye view of downtown St. Louis and the Gateway Arch.
Later in the week, students built on their experience with a cross-country flight, where they applied the navigation and planning skills they’d been learning in the classroom. From reading sectional charts and mapping out a route to calculating waypoints and fuel usage, these longer flights to other Midwest airports offer a deeper understanding of what goes into piloting an aircraft beyond just flying.
“It was fun to just get hands on the controls and see a different view people don’t usually get of Missouri and the city,” said Titus Matheny, a student at the Collegiate School of Medicine and Bioscience in St. Louis, Mo.
“I liked how close we got to the Arch. That was pretty cool and a nice photo op,” added Charlie Stamatio from Cardinal Gibbons High School in Wake Forest, NC.
Students also enjoyed exclusive access to different types of aircraft. “I liked how we got to tour the private jets and sit up front in the cockpits and have the pilots explain everything to us,” said Ryan Allen from Eustis High School in Eustis, Fla.
For many students, the Aviation Summer Academy didn’t just offer knowledge, it sparked a vision for the future. Autumn May, now a flight science major at SLU and a counselor for this year’s program, attended the camp herself in 2023 as a high school student at Nerinx Hall in Webster Groves, Mo.
“It made me want to go to SLU in the first place,” said May. “I just wanted to give the students the same opportunity that I had. I had some really great counselors.”
In her current role, May sees the impact the program continues to have. “As a counselor, you see the kids and how they’re experiencing it,” she said. “When I was in the moment, I knew how much it impacted me. And now I’m getting to see how it impacts other students as well. It affects everyone differently, which is really cool.”
Flight instructor David Chilenski talked about the importance of such camps as the industry continues to have an abundance of openings. “I strongly encourage anyone who has an interest in aviation to apply for our camp and explore firsthand different opportunities for the future,” said Chilenski. “There is no better way to see if aviation is a good fit for you than to be in the cockpit of a plane. Whether you want to be a pilot, engineer, maintainer, or work in aerospace in any way, the future is bright in aviation.”
Camp participants were selected from a pool of applicants and came from high schools in Illinois, Missouri, Colorado, North Carolina, Mississippi, Michigan, Texas, Indiana, Florida and as far away as Kazakhstan.
St. Louis Downtown Airport Director Sandra Shore appreciates that the airport gets to play a role in delivering this unique experience for students. “As home to the oldest flight school in the nation, countless students have taken to the skies for the very first time from St. Louis Downtown Airport, and we know that such opportunities are vital to attracting youth to the vibrant aviation field,” said Shore. “These flights can be first step to an amazing, life-long career.”
St. Louis Downtown Airport is owned and operated by Bi-State Development and is located just east of downtown St. Louis on more than one thousand acres in Cahokia Heights and Sauget, Illinois
About Bi-State Development
Bi-State Development (BSD) owns and operates St. Louis Downtown Airport and the Gateway Arch Riverboats, as well as operates the Gateway Arch Revenue Collections Center and Gateway Arch trams. BSD is the operator of Metro Transit, the main public transportation system in eastern Missouri and southwestern Illinois. The Metro Transit operation includes the 87-vehicle, 46-mile MetroLink light rail system; a MetroBus vehicle fleet of approximately 270 clean-burning diesel buses and 24 battery-electric buses; and Metro Call-A-Ride, a paratransit fleet of 123 vans. BSD also operates the St. Louis Regional Freightway, the region’s freight district.
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