Take Flight

Welcome back to Take Flight. If you know of anyone else who would like to receive our occasional updates, please have them email me at brobinson@sau88.net. We hope you enjoy today's newsletter.

I spent some time out in the hangar this morning, and our students are fully engaged in the first steps of the plane build. There are three lines at work building the rudder, the stabilator, and the vertical stabilizer. They have quickly built a strong sense of community, and students, teachers, and mentors are collaborative in reading the plans, managing the tools, and maintaining quality assurance.

We would once again like to thank our inventory guru, Dave Robinson, as well as the mentors who have quickly assimilated into teaching roles. The NH Aviation Museum, especially Jeff Rapsis, Leah Dearborn, and the Board of Directors have been phenomenal in their support as we get up to speed.

It is a truly remarkable thing to witness, and you are invited to stop by anytime to see the progress. You will find them behind the LHS track in the three-bay garage Monday-Thursday 9:15-11:00 and Friday 9:35-11:05.

Today, photographer Tom Darnall was visiting from the state of Washington, and we will share his photos in the future. Mine are below from my trusty iPhone.

Tom Moore and Bo Harwood appear to be having a blast as Take Flight teachers, and that is due to 1) the nature of the opportunity, and 2) the amazing group of students who were selected to be part of the first Take Flight class.

Can you sense the enthusiasm?

~ Bonnie

Weather permitting, the Aviation Museum intends to bring RV-12iS aircraft built by Manchester students to Lebanon to be displayed in this year's Lebfest. All members of the Take Flight community are invited to check out the plane, and also to answer questions from the public and talk about their experiences so far. See you there!

Our Aviation friend will fly the RV-12iS from Manchester to Lebanon, and the wings are easily detachable. To bring the plane from the airport to Lebfest, they plan to hire a flatbed trailer, but the wings will need to be transported separately. Does anyone have access to a large-sized trailer and truck that can be used to transport the wings from Lebanon airport to Colburn park and then back again? Please send any leads to me at brobinson@sau88.net.

As you can imagine, the NH Aviation Museum has quickly become our favorite 501(c)(3) organization in New Hampshire. We hope to see many supporters at the gala on October 12th. A few of our students will be in attendance, and one or more of them will be speaking to the group. Students and parents: see the generous offer below.

Take Flight students invited to Gala on Saturday, Oct. 12 as our guests: The Aviation Museum's annual Gala is Saturday, Oct. 12 from 5 to 9 p.m. at the DoubleTree by Hilton, 700 Elm St., Manchester, N.H. This year's theme is 'For The Kids' and will highlight our youth education programs, including the new Take Flight program in Lebanon. To encourage you to join us, we're inviting all plane-build students (each accompanied by one adult) to attend as our guests. They need to know who plans to attend no later than Friday, Sept. 20. Hope to see as many of you there as possible! More information is available for students and parents here.

For any other Mentors and Friends, here are the details:

The September 2024 Aviation Digest contained a succinct and concise of what it takes to obtain A & P certifications. A & P stands for Airframe and Powerplant certification, and it is a great career choice. Thanks to Jeff Rapsis for sharing this resource.

Here is another great opportunity for our students.

If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions, please let me know.

Bonnie Robinson

LHS Director of Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment

brobinson@sau88.net