The Aerospace Center for Excellence (ACE) is taking its commitment to inspiring the next generation of aerospace professionals to new heights with the launch of STEMwrx, a new educational program designed specifically for middle and high school students. STEMwrx connects science, technology, engineering, and mathematics with real-world aerospace careers, giving students the opportunity to explore the industry through hands-on, interactive learning.
Launching with two unique courses, STEMwrx gives students the chance to discover that there is much more to aviation than simply flying an airplane. The program includes SIM Air, designed for students ages 11–14, and Simulated Flight School, designed for students ages 11–18. Both programs run from September through March and provide students with an immersive experience that connects classroom concepts to the aviation industry.
SIM Air: Build and Manage Your Own Airline introduces students to the many careers that keep an airline operating. Through the TransportEd Challenge, students work in teams to create their own airline and tackle weekly challenges involving aircraft mechanics, flight dispatchers, airline human resources and other aviation professions. Along the way, students hear from industry professionals and gain insight into careers that often happen behind the scenes.
The program takes students through the process of developing an airline, from creating an airline identity and building a fleet to planning routes, exploring equipment and technology, managing ground operations, training flight crews and planning an airport. By the end of the course, students present their airline strategies and begin developing resumes, helping them connect what they have learned to future educational and career opportunities.
For students who dream of becoming pilots, Simulated Flight School provides an introduction to the skills and knowledge required to fly. Using professional-grade Redbird flight simulators in ACE’s Flight Simulation Lab, students learn how airplanes fly through guided instruction, short video lessons, and real-time flight practice. Students work together as pilot and copilot while developing communication, procedures, and aircraft-control skills.
The curriculum progresses from fundamental flight concepts to more advanced skills, including turns, climbs and descents, slow flight, stalls, takeoffs and landings, traffic patterns and emergency procedures. Students who successfully complete the course will have the opportunity to take a discovery flight in a real airplane, putting the skills they developed in the simulator to the test.
STEMwrx represents another important step in ACE’s mission to engage, educate, and accelerate the next generation of aerospace professionals. By introducing students to both the technical and business sides of aviation, the program helps them see the wide range of opportunities available across the aerospace industry—and gives them the tools, experiences and inspiration to begin charting their own path toward a future in flight.
Whether students are interested in piloting, engineering, airport operations, airline management, or the many specialized careers that support aviation, STEMwrx is designed to help them make those connections. It transforms curiosity into experience and gives students a clearer picture of where their interests and talents can lead within the growing aerospace industry while building confidence along the way.
Learn more about STEMwrx and the Aerospace Center for Excellence HERE.
