Pilot Mentor Training

Welcome!  We are so glad you are here. 

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STEM Flights is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that provides customized aviation education and flight experiences to facilitate learning in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math. Our mission is to create positive experiences in general aviation, and inspire America’s youth to pursue STEM careers. Formed in 2018, STEM Flights now has Pilot Mentors flying missions in 49 states all over the country.  You are joining an elite group of pilots that are inspiring youth to pursue STEM and aviation careers.

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Lesson 1:  How to deliver a STEM Flight mission

We created this video to show an example of how a STEM Flight Mission works and your responsibility as a Pilot Mentor. 

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Lesson 2: Student Expectations

STEM Flights works with students in middle through high school (ages 11-18). We work with educators, school systems, and nonprofit partners to identify students for the program.

Students fill out the online application (with their parent/guardian) and submit a Letter of Recommendation from a teacher or mentor. The student must select the mission of interest from our four available STEM missions on our website. The student is then expected to complete the online STEM and aviation curriculum prior to meeting at the airport.

Keep in mind that you are not expected to "teach" the STEM missions, we have already provided the educational content to the students and tied their learning back to a flight experience. Pilot Mentors are providing the safe and fun flight experience, STEM Flights is providing the aerospace learning, career development, and "what's next" after the flight.

Here are the four missions available for students to choose from:  

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Lesson 3: What you will need for your STEM Flights Mission

All of the forms listed below you can also access on our website here so that you can print from home or download from your phone.

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STEM Flights Liability Waiver:  A parent/guardian has already signed the waiver of liability before they will ever connect with the pilot, this step is completed during the application process. If you plan on inviting anyone else in the cockpit during the flight, please Download STEM Flights Waiver Here and have them sign it. 

STEM Flights Certificate of Completion:  Print a copy of this certificate to be filled out for each student. Download Certificate of Completion Here

STEM Flights Mission Checklist: We have created a Mission Checklist to make your flight experience easy to complete. Many of our Pilot Mentors find it helpful to have a checklist to follow, some prefer to complete the mission in their own way. Either is fine with us, but we wanted you to have a tool if you want to use it.  You can print the checklist and bring it with you to the airport Download Pilot Mentor Checklist Here

Learning Objectives:  Each STEM Flight Mission (4 available on our website) has unique items to review during the flight that corresponds to the STEM curriculum provided to the student. When you are paired with a student, you will be alerted to the mission they selected, and you can prepare to fly that specific mission. These checklist items are suggestions to help you plan your flight, but we want Pilot Mentors to create your own version of a STEM Flight that best highlights the area you are flying in and your personal experiences. For example, if a student selects “Drones, Physics, and Advanced Air Mobility”, you might discuss weight and balance, lift, and GPS.  Download Learning Objectives Here

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Lesson 4: After the Flight

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Congratulations – your flight was a success and you just introduced STEM and aviation to a student in your area. Now what? 

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STEM Flights takes over from here –  every student gets follow up to ensure they continue on their aviation journey.  We provide your student with flight training information, career exploration, and access to our team of mentors. Every student is tracked on an annual basis to discover what impact the flight had on their career trajectory.  This data will help us prove that an early experience with aviation can change lives. 

​We would also love to see any photos that you took during the flight experience! Feel free to email us at info@stemflights.org or tag us on social media at @stemflights

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Lesson 5: Safety

​​STEM Flights is dedicated to the safety of all participants and we require Pilot Mentors to have some extra training to ensure a STEM Flight Mission is both fun AND Safe. 

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Emergency Response Plan (ERP)

The STEM Flights Emergency Response Plan has a Quick Response Card (QRC) that provides a bulleted process for responding to the following:

• Ground Damage Causing mission delay or Cancelation.

• In-flight Event, Illness, or Injury.

• Aircraft Incident – No Injuries, but Media interest.

• Aircraft Missing/Overdue.

• Aircraft Accident – Catastrophic: Injuries and/or Fatalities.

• Violation of Youth Policy or Accusation of Inappropriate Pilot/Staff/Guardian/Other Volunteer/Student Interaction.

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Please review and become familiar with the STEM Flights ERP at this link.

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AOPA Public Benefit Flying Course

STEM Flights Mentor Pilots demonstrate safety and responsibility during their missions, and many of our pilots have taken the AOPA Public Benefit Flying Course to increase their professional development as volunteer pilots. We encourage all pilots to take this course which covers the following topics as they relate to flying with the general public:

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1. Pilot and Aircraft

2. Passenger Engagement

3. Perceived Pressure

4. Risk Assessment

The course can be accessed at the link below and will require you to create a no-cost AOPA member account which will give you access to the free resources of the AOPA Air Safety Institute.

Public Benefit Flying: Balancing Safety and Compassion

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Youth Policy:  

Please read over the Youth Policy document and check the box at the end to indicate you understand the information. The most notable policies for Pilot Mentors to grasp is that calling and emailing should be done only with the parent or guardian. At every step of the way, a parent will be involved with communication. 

Background Checks:

In order to ensure we are looking after the safety and security of our pilots, students, volunteers, and staff we conduct a basic background check similar to other youth volunteer organizations such as coaches of sports teams or educators.  Our background check vendor is TrueHire.  You will receive an email directly from TrueHire to complete the check.  STEM Flights covers this cost. Please check your spam/junk folder if you do not see the email. 

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Final Steps:

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                  Email or text a copy of your proof of insurance form to pilots@stemflights.org

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                   Complete your background check with TrueHire

                    You are officially a Pilot Mentor and ready to deliver flight experiences! 

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​​​​Thank you for volunteering to impact the students in your community as a STEM Flights Pilot Mentor!

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