The aircraft, G-YTLY a RANS Coyote 2, was built from a
kit by the students, supervised by teachers and local
volunteers from the RAeS and LAA along with support from
Boeing. The
aircraft is currently under test flying conditions and
once this is complete G-YTLY will receive a Permit to
Fly.
“The plane is very well put together,” said John Michie,
the project’s experienced test pilot.
“It performs flawlessly.”
Six schools are at various stages of their aircraft
build –from Yateley that has flown its aircraft, through
to Ernesford Grange School near Coventry that took
delivery of their aircraft kit in September, 2012.
Further schools will be brought into the project
in the future and the aim of the Schools Build a Plane
Challenge is to sell the completed aircraft to aviation
enthusiasts to continue to help fund the purchase of
further kits to ensure the sustainability of the project
in the long-term.
“This first flight of G-YTLY is a very significant
milestone in this ground-breaking project in which the
Royal Aeronautical Society has been proud to be
involved,” said Simon Luxmoore, Chief Executive of the
RAeS. “By
taking students through the various stages of building
and then flying a light aircraft, whilst introducing an
educational element to all of those important steps, the
project has brought those involved to the exciting world
of aviation and aerospace.
We are pleased to be a key partner in this
unprecedented initiative and we thank Boeing for their
continued support and enthusiasm, which has allowed us
to introduce our exciting sector to those engineers and
pilots of tomorrow.”
Caroline Uttley, Head of Science at Yateley School said
“We have worked hard on this project for the last four
years and it is amazing to see it coming to a successful
conclusion.
The students have had so many opportunities to talk to a
wide range of people to discuss issues ranging from
light aircraft building techniques, careers in STEM and
employment opportunities.
They are very proud of their achievements and the
project has made a large, positive impact on their
lives.
“At the start of the project, it was hard to imagine
building a light aircraft in a school and at times it
seemed like an impossible task.
Thank you to Boeing, the RAeS and our volunteers
for turning the dream into reality.
Sir Roger Bone continued: “Boeing is proud to be
celebrating 75 years of partnership with the UK in
2013 and this is a great addition to the
celebrations.
We look forward to many more ‘Schools Build a
Plane Challenge’ flights in the months and years
ahead.”
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