High School Students Build An Airplane For Class Credit
Talkeetna, Alaska sits at the front door of Denali National Park
and has a legendary history of aviation. When residents learned of
a proposed new Build A Plane program where local high school
students combine classroom learning with hands-on efforts to build
a real airplane, word spread through the town immediately.
"Once we announced we were going to start a Build A Plane
project, we began getting an amazing number of offers from lots and
lots of people who wanted to help or contribute in some way," says
Rebecca Fisher, a Talkeetna resident and Alaska Airlines pilot who
volunteered to head the project.
With a population of less than 800 people, Talkeetna residents
came together in force to offer assistance.. K2 Aviation, a local
bush flying service, created 2 full-time paid internships for Build
A Plane students. Talkeetna Aero Services committed to hire a
student for a paid, full time summer job and immediately began
offering free motivational flights to nearby Denali and Mt.
McKinley. Talkeetna Air Taxi established a $2500.00 scholarship for
students who pursue post-secondary education or training and they
too have created a full-time paid position for summer, 2011
for a lucky Build A Plane student as well as offering free
flightseeing. Talkeetna Aero offered free flights for all
interested kids and their parents.
More support included Above Alaska's owner/operator, Drew Haag,
who is a flight instructor and aircraft mechanic who volunteered to
oversee the Build A Plane aircraft reconstruction effort as well as
give each student a free introductory flight lesson. Alaska Floats
and Skis donated 15 free introductory flight lessons for flying on
floats and skis. The local chapter of the Ninety-Nines agreed to
donate up to $500 to purchase a private pilot ground school course
for the local library. Local establishment, Moore's Hardware,
donated $1000. in supplies needed for the aircraft restoration. The
Jessica Stevens Foundation donated $1000 in cash, a sum immediately
matched by local residents, Jim and Diane Graupman. MEA, the local
electrical co-op, donated use of their large hangar to house the
actual reconstruction of the aircraft, a Piper Cherokee Six.
Support for the project even came from outside of Talkeetna.
United Parcel Service offered the Build A Plane students access to
their Boeing 747 and MD-11 simulators. The Federal Aviation
Administration (FAA) has offered to host a local Aviation Career
Education camp. And, aerospace industry giant, PTC, donated $1
million worth of 3D computer-aided design software with lifetime
updates.
Ed O'Connor, a teacher at Talkeetna's Susitna Valley
Junior-Senior High School, helps students split their time between
the aircraft restoration project and online aviation courses called
AeroScholars, also provided through Build A Plane. "AeroScholars
has worked out really well," O'Connor said, "because all the kids
work at their own pace." The courses are written to national
science standards and qualify for high school credit.
"I'm very proud of what our little town has done to support
these kids," Rebecca Fisher added. "Aviation is a big part of who
we are here in Alaska and I think people see this Build A Plane
project as an opportunity to give back to the community."
"We have been so energized by the enthusiasm and excitement
shown in Alaska for Build A Plane. This Talkeetna project and
others like it will certainly help in the classroom with science,
math, engineering and technology skill-building and hopefully
inspire many kids in Alaska to consider aviation as a career" said
Lyn Freeman, Founder of Build A Plane.
Build A Plane supports three other programs in Alaska, two in
the Eskimo villages of Hooper Bay and Chevak, and another in Begich
Middle School in Anchorage.