By Sherry Niederkorn, EAA Lifetime 1277308
Members of EAA Chapter 5 combined forces with members of AMA Club 502 for the inaugural attempt at the Build and Fly program for seven students with an interest in aviation. The seven students were chosen from a pool of alumni from the EAA Chapter 5 Summer Youth Aviation Camps held at the Geauga County Airport (7G8) in Middlefield, Ohio, during the summers of 2019, 2021, and 2022. (The 2020 camp was cancelled due to COVID.) The adults led these seven students on a journey from BLUEPRINTS TO BLUE SKIES!
Build and Fly students include:
2019 camp alumni:
Aiden Kilmer (Burton) 17
Joe Kuzma (Middlefield) 17
2021 camp alumni:
Abrielle Allen (Chardon) 14
Trey Cadwallader (Burton) 14
2022 camp alumni:
RJ Miller (Middlefield) 13
Felicity Park (Kent) 15
Elizabeth Poulos (Middlefield) 13
Students actually began the process on June 28, 2022, at the Corsair Field at the Jetway Airport where they learned to fly a remote control airplane similar to the one they were scheduled to build. Once their skills were polished (and the weather grew dismal) the team moved to 7G8 to begin the build portion of the program on September 20, 2022. Students began with the blueprints from a kit, then learned woodworking skills, fabric covering, and electronics in order to complete the build (on February 28, 2023) of the LT-40 remote control airplane with a wingspan of about 6 feet.
On Tuesday, June 6, 2023, students, family members, and EAA and AMA chapter members gathered at Jetway Airport for a potluck picnic under the canopies at Corsair Field near Ravenna. Certificates and T-shirts were presented to the students and John Ashley (build team leader), Dick Allen (master builder), and Hugh Polack (flight instructor) and then the maiden flight began at 6 p.m.
Students Joe Kilmer, Trey Cadwallader, and Felicity Park took turns flying the completed LT-40. Conditions were challenging, due to the steady strong winds, but several successful takeoffs and landings ensued. It was a beautiful evening for the maiden flight of the inaugural Build and Fly Program.
When asked about their favorite part of the Build and Fly program, Joe Kuzma expressed his fondness for “working on the flight simulators to get experience on the controls.” Felicity Park liked “covering the wings, ailerons, and rudder” during the build portion and Trey Cadwallader enjoyed “flying the real thing…. actually flying… the best!”