On Feb. 26, I took another trip to Tehachapi Municipal Airport to check in on the progress of the airplane building project. Things are progressing rapidly. The beginnings of a fuselage, wing and tail sections are taking recognizable shape, and the students were working with great concentration on moving toward their goal.

Larry LaCom

High school students with the main fuselage section that is under construction.

Project manager Paul Nafziger, motioning to some of the adult mentors on site, said that these are men who have many years in the aviation industry and who know the strict FAA requirements that need to be met in order for an aircraft to be certified flight-ready. No hole is drilled, no rivet is fastened, without their eagle-eye watchfulness over the process, and the students are enthusiastically doing all the work themselves.

Students are gathering twice a week in the hangar, and once per week in the classroom, for this extracurricular project that will give their trajectory into the field of aviation a major boost.

Stay tuned for updates as the plane moves toward its maiden flight.