Cahokia, Greater St. Louis Air & Space Museum

Illinois Master Listing

Ingersoll Airport (CTK), Canton

Cahokia — Parks College of Engineering, Aviation and Technology (Flight Training)
Illinois Aviation Museum Guide

Parks College of Engineering, Aviation and Technology ^[1]
Flight Training Operations
4300 Vector Dr
Cahokia, IL 62206
(618) 337-1520

Parks Air College was founded by Oliver Parks in 1927. Parks was American's first federally certified school of aviation, holding the FAA Air Agency Certificate no. 1.

Parks College was once a division of the Detroit Aircraft Corporation. The college students manufactured their own biplane aircraft, the Parks P2A, which became the "hero" of books by author Richard Bach. The college quickly got out of the manufacturing business, selling the P2A rights to Ryan as the Ryan Speedster, and later the Hammond 100.

In the 1930's those enrolled as aeronautical engineers, had to design, construct and test fly their own aircraft.

In 1938 Oliver Parks, the Curtis-Wright Technical Institute, and the Boeing School of Aeronautics were requested by Gen. Arnold to establish, at their own risk, a Civilian Pilot Training Program including barracks and aircraft to provide basic training for thousands of pilots. As enrollment swelled, Parks further expanded his facilities to include operations at Cape Girardeau and Sikeston, Missouri, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and Jackson, Mississippi. Parks College trained thousands of aviators and aircraft mechanics during World War II. By the end of the war, more than 37,000 cadets, more than 10% of the Air Corps, had received their primary flight instruction at a Parks institution. A variety of training aircraft were used, including the locally built PT-15 trainers.

In 1944 Parks started a training curriculum to train female pilots. The students flew in ERCO Ercoupes with two-control flight systems.

Having concluded that future aviation leaders would need a broader, more academic education, Parks donated the college to Saint Louis University in 1946. In 1996 Saint Louis University closed the historic Cahokia, Illinois campus and later sold it to the village. Classes are now held in the new McDonnell-Douglas Hall building on the Frost Campus in mid-town St Louis. Flight training remained at St. Louis Downtown Airport, Cahokia, Illinois.^[3]

Michael A. Blaugher^[4] reports the following aircraft located at this facility.

• Bell AH-1 Cobra
• Beech QU-22
• Cessna 310
• Cessna 320
• Lockheed T-33 Shooting Star
• North American AT-6 Texan
• North American T-39 Sabreliner
• North American T-39A Sabreliner
• Short Skyvan

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References

1. Parks College of Engineering, Aviation and Technology, website
2. Google Earth, Satellite Image
3. Wikipedia, Parks College of Engineering, Aviation and Technology
4. Blaugher, Michael A. "Guide to Over 900 Aircraft Museums, 26th Edition". Ft. Wayne, IN: Michael A. Blaugher, 2010, p. 32
5. Skytamer Images, Aircraft Thumbnail Images © Skytamer.com