Kansas City Students to Get STEM Classroom on Retired Jet

 

Students in Kansas City will soon have a new STEM classroom inside a refurbished two-story jumbo jet.

The Kansas City-based non-profit group TriStar Experience recently flew the Lockheed L-1011 from Tucson to its new home, where it will be converted into an environment designed to spark student interest in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) and education and careers in aviation and related fields.

The jet was mothballed for 15 years in Tucson, AZ before TriStar acquired it and eventually flew it to Kansas City the Saturday before last. The jet began its life in 1974 and was converted in the 1990s into a flying hospital for Operation Blessing International.

TriStar owns two other planes and a flight simulator that it uses to teach students about STEM and aviation through ground-based and in-flight experiences.

"The idea is to inspire the kids with these big, really cool toys where they can get up close and personal and see the lessons being played out real time to inspire them to actually look into those areas for further study to peruse in high school or college and then ultimately go into aviation related careers," said Mike Saxton, vice president at TriStar Experience, according to a report about the project.

More information is available at tristarexperience.org.

About the Author

Joshua Bolkan is contributing editor for Campus Technology, THE Journal and STEAM Universe. He can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • a cloud, an AI chip, and a padlock interconnected by circuit-like lines

    CrowdStrike Report: Attackers Increasingly Targeting Cloud, AI Systems

    According to the 2025 Threat Hunting Report from CrowdStrike, adversaries are not just using AI to supercharge attacks — they are actively targeting the AI systems organizations deploy in production. Combined with a surge in cloud exploitation, this shift marks a significant change in the threat landscape for enterprises.

  • digital learning resources including a document, video tutorial, quiz checklist, pie chart, and AI cloud icon

    Quizizz Rebrands as Wayground, Announces New AI Features

    Learning platform Quizizz has become Wayground, in a rebranding meant to reflect "the platform's evolution from a quiz tool into a more versatile supplemental learning platform that's supported by AI," according to a news announcement.

  • Schoolchildren Work on Personal Computers

    Code.org Reinvents Hour of Code as Hour of AI

    Education nonprofit Code.org has partnered with CSforALL to launch the Hour of AI, a global initiative providing learning activities for AI education.

  • student holding a smartphone with thumbs-up and thumbs-down icons, surrounded by abstract digital media symbols and interface elements

    Teaching Media Literacy? Start by Teaching Decision-Making

    Decision-making is a skill that must be developed — not assumed. Students need opportunities to learn the tools and practices of effective decision-making so they can apply what they know in meaningful, real-world contexts.