It has been six years since Wings of Hope launched SOAR into STEM, and our Education Programs Manager Lee Ann Nolte said the spring 2025 session was the best yet.
The five-week, hands-on STEM and aviation educational experience takes place twice a year — in the fall and the spring. Each Saturday session brings students into the Wings of Hope hangar to learn about the basics of flight, mechanics, engineering, aviation navigation and communications, and uncrewed aerial vehicles (aka drones). The five-week session culminates with the students taking Young Eagle flights, courtesy of local EAA Chapter 1675.
Hands-on activities include building gliders (not the dime-store version), practicing communicating with air traffic control during a simulated exercise that mirrors airport traffic patterns, installing an electrical system on a foam aircraft, and working with aircraft mechanics on some of the essential skills used in maintaining planes. Student teams also participated in an engineering project — designing and building a working catapult for competition at the end of the session — and practiced flying drones.
Perhaps the most valuable aspect of the program is the opportunity for students to learn from a team of volunteer mentors who are experienced in aviation and STEM fields.
“We added new mentors who brought a lot of enthusiasm and energy to the program,” said Lee Ann.
Fourteen mentors, including seven Boeing engineers, represented a wide range of experience including working as commercial and military pilots, mechanical and systems safety engineers, mechanics — including one who worked on fighter jets — certified flight instructors, a former NASA intern who did his undergraduate research on high-power rocketry, and an aviation map maker for the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency.
They shared their expertise through an expanded offering of demonstrations including a mock aircraft inspection, demoing the ForeFlight flight planning app, and a presentation on the inner workings and aerodynamics of free flight.
Mentors included Wings of Hope Board Member Kirk McDonald, who flew the Lockheed C5 Galaxy in the Air Force, and Bill Hoffman, a Wings of Hope volunteer and former Navy pilot who flew the A-4 Skyhawk and EA-6B Prowler aircraft from aircraft carriers. Guest speakers included Frank Dressel, a U.S. Air Force Academy graduate and former military pilot, and Ed Schertz, longtime volunteer and former Wings of Hope bush pilot.
Boeing’s F-15 Lead System Safety Engineer Roland Diaz led the session on aeronautical engineering. He had this to say of the program: “I was impressed with the attendance and attention from the kids as well as all the experience from the mentors involved. It’s very special to see this kind of community sharing their aviation passion with future enthusiasts while simultaneously accomplishing a selfless mission.”
The most recent SOAR into STEM session also boasted the most highly engaged group of mentors to date, with many attending the full day including eating lunch with students and assisting with afternoon activities.
“With so much knowledge in the room, I felt like any question a student asked, there was someone who had the answer!” Lee Ann said.
For the second time, the program featured a dedicated maintenance day — which was a big hit with students.
“The students really enjoyed all the activities and talking with mentors at each of the stations,” said Lee Ann. “And the mentors did an excellent job with the activities they led and were very engaged with the students.”
All told, 26 students from 11 school districts participated in the spring session — and 20 students had perfect attendance.
We asked students what they liked most about the program, and here’s what they said:
“I got to experience how engineering is put into this, the mission of Wings of Hope, and how great it is,” said Yetzari. “Learning how to fly and learning the basics is a great experience — and there’s career chances. I would tell them (other students) that it’s an opportunity to not miss.”
“My favorite part was meeting mentors and getting information from them — also doing the STEM and aviation activities,” said AJ.
Braylen enjoyed “meeting new people with common interests, and experts that know a lot about aviation and STEM fields.”
A career exploration fair capped off the spring session. Eighteen exhibitors convened in the hangar to help students pursue their aviation interests and develop a professional network. Exhibitors included SOAR into STEM sponsor Boeing, Gulfstream, the U.S. Air Force, the U.S. Navy, Aviation Explorer Post, Civil Air Patrol and the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA). The fair drew 90 students and guests, 50 exhibitor representatives, and 10 volunteers and staff — for a total of 150 participants.
Phil Schroeder, a military recruiter who participated in the fair, said: “Your event was just terrific. You had STEM motivated kids that wanted to be there! Hats off to you and yours for putting this all together for our community.”
Sandy Wirtz, an exhibitor representing the Greater St. Louis Business Aviation Association (GSLBAA) Education Foundation, had a similar experience: “This event is one of the best I’ve attended — a great group of future aviators who are interested in learning and eager to hear what we have to tell them. I also like that the parents attend this event with the students to show their interest and support of their children.”
A parent of one of the students, whose daughter Brooklyn participated in SOAR into STEM, said the program “was perfect for my daughter to get introduced to the world of aviation in preparation for a career as a pilot.”
“I have done a lot of research and there is nothing else like this available to prepare teens for aviation careers.”
BOLD: To learn more about SOAR into STEM and the other educational experiences we offer students including field trips, internships and speaker visits, visit wingsofhope.ngo or contact Lee Ann Nolte at LeeAnn.Nolte@wingsofhope.ngo.
