Bellevue teen Liz Kaiser helps build an airplane

Three months out of the year, students look forward to lounging in the sun, hanging out with friends, family vacations and doing, well, nothing. Known as summer vacation, it is the most coveted time of year.

However, for a group of West Coast students this summer vacation was a chance to spread their wings and fly. Literally.

High schoolers Brian White, Kevin Lein, Liz Kaiser, and Cody Freeman were chosen to participate in a two-week long intensive workshop in Arlington, building a brand-new Glasair Sportsman aircraft. None of the kids have ever built an airplane, until now.

Much like the other three students, 17-year-old Liz Kaiser of Bellevue has an interest in aviation and wanted to build an aircraft for her senior project. When she heard about the Build A Plane program, it seemed like the perfect opportunity. The workshop is free and gets the students out of the classroom and into the hanger for a hands on experience.

The first-of-its-kind aircraft construction project was led by Lyn Freeman, editor of Plane & Pilot Magazine and founder of the nonprofit organization, Build A Plane. Freeman was convinced that there were people out there who would want to teach kids about aviation and an equal amount of eager kids who would want to learn. It turned out, he was right.

Build A Plane now reaches kids in Canada, throughout the United States and across the globe to places such as Nigeria and India. Financial support for the program comes from individual and business donations, schools, organizations and the sometimes the kids themselves.

Build A Plane provides the aircraft free of charge and retains no ownership. The aircrafts are donated by owners of planes no longer airworthy or incomplete kits and receive a charitable tax credit and the knowledge that the planes will be used for aviation education for the future. Recently, Avemco Insurance donated several planes that were severely damaged during Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Wilma.

In 2006, the Build A Plan group signed a formal partnership with the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration). The nonprofit group also works with the EAA (Experimental Aircraft Association) and the aviation community to offer young people with an interest in flying the chance to build airplanes and learn innovative methods of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) instruction. The young participants are exposed to piloting skills and aircraft design, in an effort to peak the interest of the next generation of aviation enthusiasts.

“The aviation industry from grass roots to aerospace is really in trouble because we have a decrease of pilots, engineers, and mechanics,” Freeman explained, adding that they have begun to look at ways to put aviation-based programs into schools that aren’t necessarily interested in building planes but still want to take advantage of STEM learning. Software created by Burt Rutan during the SpaceShipOne civilian space program is available to Build A Plane groups who want to virtually design, build and fly an aircraft.

“I grew up with a Dad who had a plane and I have been flying all my life,” Freeman explained. “I thought gosh, I wonder if there is anything I could do to get young kids interested in aviation?”

The Build A Plane Glasair project had the four students working for two weeks, putting in eight-hour days to finish the plane in time for its scheduled flight. As the second week wound down, the kids worked feverishly to finish the aircraft. In only four days of work, the kids installed the engine and the wings. Lyn Freeman, a certified pilot, will fly the plane himself.

“None of the kids have their pilot licenses yet, so I guess that makes me the test pilot,” joked Freeman.

The plane was donated by Glasair Aviation. Other sponsors of the project included Garmin, Lycoming Engines, Hartzell, and Cessna Aircraft.

“This project in Arlington is a result of a lot of generous support,” Freeman said. “Glasair aviation has a special program called Two weeks to Taxi. They provide a high-tech hanger, Glasair supplies, and they assist you through two weeks of building an airplane and in this case we have kids building it. The completed aircraft will become the “flagship” for Build A Plane and will travel to airshows and schools across the country.

There are more than 200 schools on the waiting list for the Build A Plane program. If anyone would like to donate an aircraft or would like to get involved they can visit www.buildaplane.org for more information.

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