[CAHOKIA HEIGHTS, IL / JULY 21, 2026] Approximately 30 high school students spent the morning of July 11 exploring aircraft, meeting aerospace and aviation professionals and taking to the skies during the culminating event of the Southwestern Illinois College (SWIC) Aviation Summer Sampler Camp at St. Louis Downtown Airport. The airport visit marked the conclusion of a three-day immersive camp designed to introduce students to the wide range of career opportunities available throughout the aerospace and aviation industry.
Coordinated by ROE40, Southwestern Illinois College, the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy (IMSA) and Women in Aviation, the camp connected students with aviation professionals and educators through hands-on learning experiences, industry presentations and career exploration activities. Throughout the week, students learned about avionics, flight simulators, machining, aviation maintenance, drones and engineering while interacting with industry professionals. The experience was designed to showcase not only piloting careers, but also the many technical, engineering, maintenance and operational roles that support the industry.
During the final day at St. Louis Downtown Airport, students viewed aircraft up close, learned about airport operations and aircraft rescue and firefighting, explored careers with aviation organizations and experienced discovery flights in small aircraft. For many campers, the discovery flight was their first opportunity to fly in the cockpit of a small aircraft, and some of them got to take their flight in a Lancair aircraft previously flown across the Atlantic Ocean by Erik Lindbergh, grandson of Charles Lindbergh. The aircraft is now operated by AeroCareers to help inspire students during these types of outreach events…