425 STEM Flights: How Volunteer Pilots Inspire Future Aviation Careers + GA News

In Episode 425 of Aviation News Talk, Max talks with retired Air Force General David Brubaker about STEM Flights, a nonprofit organization that pairs middle- and high-school students with volunteer pilot mentors for free, one-on-one aviation experiences designed to introduce them to careers in aviation, aerospace, engineering, and other STEM fields.

STEM Flights grew out of Brubaker's own experience after retiring from the Air Force in 2005. During his military career, he flew aircraft including the F-4 and F-16 and finished his career with an assignment at the Pentagon. After retiring, he became active in general aviation and began taking young people flying.

But Brubaker didn't simply give them airplane rides. He expected them to participate. They helped with navigation, looked at the instrumentation, worked with the radios, and often took the controls themselves.

Years later, he began hearing back from some of those young people. Several had gone on to study aviation, aerospace, engineering, and other technical subjects. One young woman eventually earned her ratings, joined the West Virginia Air National Guard, and became a C-130 pilot.

Those experiences helped Brubaker recognize that pilots could have an enormous influence on the career choices of young people simply by sharing aviation with them in a meaningful way. His children encouraged him to turn what he was doing informally into a nonprofit, and STEM Flights was launched in 2018.

Today, STEM Flights connects students with volunteer pilot mentors around the country. Students don't simply show up at an airport for a free ride. They apply to the program, receive a recommendation, select a mission based on their interests, and complete homework before being paired with a pilot.

That preparation is part of what makes STEM Flights different. Brubaker describes the program as a more intensive, personal experience than a typical introductory airplane ride. A student is paired one-on-one with a pilot mentor, and the pilot learns about the student's interests before the flight. On the day of the mission, they discuss safety and learning objectives, preflight the airplane, and then head into the air.

Once they reach a safe altitude, the student usually gets the controls. They may learn about navigation, aircraft instrumentation and communications, and Brubaker says he likes to have each student make at least one radio call. But the most powerful moment often comes when the student re