Take Flight

October 1, 2024

Greetings

The LHS Hangar is a great place, and if you have time between 9:15-11:00 Monday to Thursday, or 9:35-11:05 on Friday, I encourage you to stop in for a visit. I am probably biased, but I think it has the best energy in town! Our students, teachers, and mentors are actively engaged in the plane build. They work collaboratively, have fun, and learn each step of the way. There have been one or two mis-steps, but that is part of the learning process, and expertise is developing.

A few of us joined LebFest on the Lebanon Green a couple weeks ago. Tracy Hutchins and the Upper Valley Business Alliance put together an outstanding event. Many folks stopped by our booth to chat about Take Flight, and our students represented us so well. Music to my ears, when two of them were separately asked about what they like best about the class, they both replied, "the people."

You may tire of my saying so, but we are grateful to the NH Aviation Museum, Tango Flight, the donors, the community, SAU 88, our mentors, our staff, our students, and their families for taking the leap to make Take Flight a reality.

All the best,

Bonnie

Who's Who at Take Flight

We thought we might share a bit about the people involved in Take Flight, and we will start with our Seniors - the LHS Class of 2025.

Rebecca Ball

Some of my favorite things to do are reading, drawing, dancing, and singing. I love to perform, and will be one of the main characters in the school's musical this year! The funny thing is that my favorite subjects in school have always been math and science; this does not seem to match my hobbies at all. For this reason, I like to call myself well-rounded. I joined Take Flight because I want to be a fighter pilot in the future.

Ben Britton

I am Ben Britton. My favorite subject is math because it is logical and relates to the real world. I enjoy everything about cars and playing golf. I live in Grantham. I would like to study mechanical engineering in college. I like the freedom of taking flight, the ability to lead the building together, rather than being directed all the time by a teacher. I've always enjoyed building things so Take Flight is perfect. I also enjoy working in groups.

Reed Ferland

Hi, my name is Reed Ferland and I am I senior in Take Flight. I am interested in mechanical engineering after LHS and Take Flight has been a great opportunity to experiment in the design and manufacturing field. Numerous positive experiences here in the hangar have strengthened my decision to continue to pursue engineering.

Kyle Hines

My name is Kyle Hines, I am from Plainfield, New Hampshire. I love to drive and work on my 1984 Ford F150, play tennis, go fishing, golf, and write music. I am working to get my private pilot license right now, and I plan to go to Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University for Aerospace Sciences to become a commercial pilot. I love building the plane, like an upscaled lego set, and I hope to fly it someday. Thank you!

(Kyle is pictured with his twin sister, Laura.)

Tomas Kennelly

My hobbies/interests include rowing, reading, Dungeons & Dragons, and video games. This spring will be my last season with the Upper Valley Rowing Foundation Junior team, and I'll be sad to see it go (although I hope to come back and visit when I can). I'm planning on going to college for Computer Science, as I enjoy the processes of problem solving and logic inherent to it. This is one of the reasons I've enjoyed Take Flight so far - even following specific instructions, there are still many minor problems that I can work to think of solutions to. The physical act of putting things together and seeing the result is also much more rewarding than most other projects, although it still feels unreal that the pieces we're working on today will eventually be part of a plane.

Chip Silver

I love math and science and the physics of how the world, and especially aviation, works. I love building things and have been working with legos and other building toys since I was a toddler and I love working with my hands. I want to become an aerospace engineer so when I heard about this program I thought that it would be perfect for me! I can’t wait to see how this project turns out and I have already, in the few weeks we’ve been working, gotten so much out of it!

Celebrating Our Students

We were pleased to see that Rebecca Ball was recently cast as Liesel, the eldest daughter of the Von Trapp children, in the upcoming LHS production of The Sound of Music. Mark your calendars for December 6th, 7th, and 8th, 7:00PM, Lebanon Opera House.

The weather has been very cooperative so far this fall for our golf team. Two of our Take Flight students are golfers, and they are enjoying it. Good luck to Lebanon Raiders Ben Britton and Kyle Hines.

In the Hangar

Swag from Embry-Riddle

One of our fabulous mentors, Dave Marcy, is an Embry-Riddle alum, and he arranged for some Eagles' swag to be sent to our students. His association with Take Flight could also result in a $1000 renewable scholarship for our aspiring pilots, engineers, and all others interested in studying aviation. Embry-Riddle currently has 49 Bachelor's programs, ranging from Aeronautical Science - Fixed Wing to Unmanned Aircraft Systems. They also note that there are 230+ days of sunshine per year.

Thanks, Dave!

LebFest

Tom Darnall Photos

One of our mentors invited his brother to visit the hangar while he was visiting from Washington State. A professional photographer, Tom got some great shots! If you would like a link to the originals, please send me an email.

Take Flight Newsletters

8.25.24, 9.3.24, 9.11.24, 9.18.24, 10.1.24

As always, feel free to share this newsletter, introduce us to anyone who would like to contribute in any way, and stop by the hangar to see our students at work.