by Celia Poehls
Tat-tat-tat-tat, brrrrrrrrrrrr, thunkthunk- thunk. (Ouch!) These sounds rise in volume as one descends the cement steps to the “Hangar” in the basement at Washburn High School. Here, in a converted storeroom, roughly 30 students are actively learning about aviation in its most practical sense. They are working together to build a complete airplane.
For about three years now, Peter Denny, our adopted “Aussie” and the Washburn Aviation Small Learning Community (“SLC”) Lead Teacher and Coordinator, has been striving for this moment.
In his free time Peter treks from group to group sharing his dreams and vision to bring a more “hands-on” style of learning to make Aviation real for students. Peter’s experiences teaching in Australia proves this method is successful. As he talks and travels, he has been hoping someone would be able to provide the financial backing to make this “take off.”
Earlier this year, this finally transpired. An Alumnus from the Washburn High School Class of 1958 kindly stepped forward and contributed the funds necessary to purchase the two-person monoplane “kit” from Sonex-Ltd., in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Several of his classmates have pledged their support for this project and he made good on their pledges.
Building a plane from “spinner to rudder” is without a doubt the best way to expose students to the many-sided nature of aviation. In practical terms, professional aviators will tell you it is beneficial to be a “Jack-of-all-Trades.” The best pilots know you need experience and skills with mathematics, metallurgy, geography, economics, architecture, graphics, aerodynamics, carpentry, physics, English, design and meteorology to name a few. This hands-on plane building class supplies participants with much needed experience in supportive and positive surroundings.
Class members will be able to take this practical learning experience and their successes and apply it, no matter what career choice lies ahead for them.
A few issues pushed the target start date for building out a few months. This down time was wisely used preparing and studying blueprints, manuals and other documents needed for this momentous undertaking.
To-date, the building teams have been established and the students are researching their components. They have also been practicing with pneumatic tools, forming gussets and putting in rivets. It’s not as easy as Mr. Denny makes it Appropriating a line from Cap’n Jack Sparrow in a recent blockbuster movie Pirates of the Carribean, this “Ship is more than a keel and a hull and a deck.” This ship is called Spirit of Washburn’s Band of Brothers for its contributors and its intention to signify the dreams and hopes of the young people who have studied and are studying Aviation and Aerospace at Washburn.
When the plane is completed in about two years, it is Peter’s plan to first fly the plane generally along the Louis and Clark trail from St. Louis, Missouri to Haystack Rock, on the Pacific shoreline in Oregon. Exploring “uncharted territory,” so to speak.
After that, he will fly it “in formation” with many other Sonex builders in a cross-country fly-by with touch-downs in places like Jefferson City, Missouri; Sioux City, Iowa; Pierre, South Dakota; Bismarck, North Dakota; Missouri Breaks, Montana and Lewiston, Idaho, as a practical exhibition of “working outside the box” and going to the edge.
The Diary of the building class can be found at:
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We would certainly appreciate your comments, questions, suggestions and support in any form. Please direct inquiries to Mr. Denny at cheap flights lyrics or Celia Poehls (Aviation SLC Parent Team Leader) at can you buy Lyrica from canada.