Introduction to Aviation

Educational Excellence

My son said, 'I love math', as a result of your program.

Parent letter, June 2019

As homeschooling parents, my wife and I invested in the AV-STEM course on behalf of our daughter Emma who dreams of becoming a C-130 Pilot in the Air Force. Emma started the course as an 11 year-old and had no problem comprehending the content. The AV-STEM Course is divided up into manageable units which build on one another in a progressive learning approach. They are full of informative lectures, inspiring interviews, and fun hands-on projects. Perhaps the greatest and most important aspect of the course can be found at the beginning lessons in "The Life of a Dream, and the Death of a Dream" which addresses directly the Christ-centered morality required and the discipline needed to pursue the lofty position of becoming a pilot or any dream for that matter. My daughter still has her project poster on her wall from that lesson which has served to guide her well through many decisions and efforts in her young aviation career. Even if your student does not desire to become a pilot, the course is an excellent presentation of Aerospace Science and Theory, Weather, and Applied Mathematics. The flight simulator, which is included in the course, is a fun and useful way to apply the lecture content of any given day. At age 12, our daughter Emma has attended a Glider Ground School in an effort to pursue soloing in a Glider and obtain her Private Glider Pilot License. She attended a Ground School with all men in their 50's and scored better on the written exam than all but three of the adults! She technically is qualified to seat the FAA Private Glider Pilot Exam; however, she has to wait 4 more years to take the test. This is one example of how well AV-STEM has prepared Emma for flight. At age 12, Emma is the youngest member to join the Minnesota Soaring Club. She has logged a number of flight hours this spring. The lectures and Flight Simulator hours from AV-STEM has saved her many hours of actual instructor guided flight time and many hundreds of dollars. Under the guidance of Soaring Instructors, Emma is now able to start more advanced maneuvers during her lessons and has been "fast-tracked" to qualify to Solo by age 14. This certainly would not be possible without the front-end preparation of the AV-STEM course. The AV-STEM course has also served to create a knowledge base and level of moral discipline which has served to propel her towards the top of her Civil Air Patrol Squadron. Her aviation and aerospace knowledge has more than impressed her Senior Members and Instructor Pilots. This course has further developed our daughter as an independent learner, and she often re-watches lessons for fun and flies missions on her flight simulator. In summary, AV-STEM builds both the character and knowledge necessary to become a young aviator and saves a large expense related to flight instruction costs on the tail end of the effort of obtaining a Private Pilot License.