Wings Over the Rockies (Wings) is proud to celebrate the successful first flight of the FAA-approved, student-built RV-12 aircraft as part of Wings' education program Wings Aerospace Pathways (WAP).
During the March 13 maiden flight, Wings' President and CEO Ret. Maj. Gen. John Barry, USAF, successfully took off and landed three times in the RV-12. Safety Observer Pat Claar accompanied Barry on the flight.
Wings Aerospace Pathways (WAP), a program that has been provided by the non-profit for several years, offers hands-on, experiential learning that allows students in grades 6-12 to immerse themselves in the aerospace industry. Thanks to the generous support of the James C Ray Foundation and Wings donors, students in the high school cohort have been hard at work building the RV-12 for the last four years, building more than 80% of the aircraft themselves with adult supervision. Dave Yuskewich, WAP CTE coordinator and instructor, has been leading the aircraft assembly with Wings volunteers and students since the beginning of the project.
"There have been several students on the build from the beginning, and I've immensely enjoyed watching their progress over the years, as well as the new kids who have also been involved," said Yuskewich. "They have been thrilled to watch this plane come together and couldn't be prouder to unveil the finished product."
Yuskewich first introduced the aircraft to the cohort as a completely disassembled kit. The students have since turned that kit into a fully functioning aircraft, applying knowledge learned from their WAP studies and marking many milestones along the way, including a successful engine start, taxi test, airworthiness inspection and flight. These new skills are well suited to provide these students with great career opportunities in the years ahead.
"With the nation's second largest aerospace economy, Colorado's industry is a great future destination for jobs for these students, and we couldn't be happier to be a part of getting them prepared at such a young age," said Barry. "The determination and responsibility demonstrated by the students on this project has been very rewarding for all involved. We are so proud of the hard work of every student, past and present that has helped this plane come together, and salute the staff and volunteers that have led the aircraft assembly."
The skills learned through this WAP course, such as teamwork, problem solving, design thinking and applied technology help equip students to enter the aerospace industry and beyond. Thanks to this experience, many of the students are already envisioning themselves in long-term careers as mechanics, engineers or pilots in the state's aerospace sector.
"I feel like I'm one of the luckiest kids ever to be a part of this," said student Ella Smith.
