STRATFORD — The tiny two-seat RV-12 touched down quietly while most dignitaries were facing the other way, fixated on helicopters and conversations inside a Sikorsky Airport hangar.
Pilot Mark Scott, who helped build the brand new aircraft, called it wonderful to fly as he climbed out and introduced himself to Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz.
Bysiewicz couldn’t help but notice the wings were covered in the signatures of high school students who fastened a pull rivet or two during its construction.
Scott, who flies out of Meriden, said the plane is identical to the one that students from Bassick High School in Bridgeport will build this fall.
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Bassick in search of mentors to help students build a plane
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1of8A RV-12 airplane belonging to the Spirit of Meriden Flight Club arrives at Sikorsky Memorial Airport, in Stratford, Conn. July 21, 2020. Industrial manufacturing students from Bassick High School, in Bridgeport, will soon begin building a RV-12. The Meriden club’s airplane was also built by high school students.Photo: Ned Gerard / Hearst Connecticut Media
2of8A RV-12 airplane parked at Sikorsky Memorial Airport, in Stratford, Conn. July 21, 2020. Industrial manufacturing students from Bassick High School, in Bridgeport, will soon begin building a RV-12. The airplane on display at the airport on Tuesday belongs to the Spirit of Meriden Flight Club and was also built by high school students.Photo: Ned Gerard / Hearst Connecticut Media
3of8Bridgeport’s Acting Superintendent of Schools Michael Testani, left, and Bassick High School Principal Joseph Raiola look at a RV-12 airplane parked at Sikorsky Memorial Airport, in Stratford, Conn. July 21, 2020. Industrial manufacturing students from Bassick will soon begin building a RV-12. The airplane on display at the airport on Tuesday belongs to the Spirit of Meriden Flight Club and was also built by high school students.Photo: Ned Gerard / Hearst Connecticut Media
4of8A RV-12 airplane parked at Sikorsky Memorial Airport, in Stratford, Conn. July 21, 2020. Industrial manufacturing students from Bassick High School, in Bridgeport, will soon begin building a RV-12. The airplane on display at the airport on Tuesday belongs to the Spirit of Meriden Flight Club and was also built by high school students.Photo: Ned Gerard / Hearst Connecticut Media
5of8Bassick High School Principal Joseph Raiola speaks at news conference at Sikorsky Memorial Airport, in Stratford, Conn. July 21, 2020. It was announced that manufacturing students from Bassick High School, in Bridgeport, will soon begin building a RV-12 airplane.Photo: Ned Gerard / Hearst Connecticut Media
6of8Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz speaks at news conference at Sikorsky Memorial Airport, in Stratford, Conn. July 21, 2020. It was announced that manufacturing students from Bassick High School, in Bridgeport, will soon begin building a RV-12 airplane.Photo: Ned Gerard / Hearst Connecticut Media
7of8Aaron Hollander, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of First Aviation, speaks at news conference at Sikorsky Memorial Airport, in Stratford, Conn. July 21, 2020. It was announced that manufacturing students from Bassick High School, in Bridgeport, will soon begin building a RV-12 airplane.Photo: Ned Gerard / Hearst Connecticut Media
8of8Connecticut manufacturing czar Colin Cooper speaks at news conference at Sikorsky Memorial Airport, in Stratford, Conn. July 21, 2020. It was announced that manufacturing students from Bassick High School, in Bridgeport, will soon begin building a RV-12 airplane.Photo: Ned Gerard / Hearst Connecticut Media
“It’s so easy to do,” said Scott. Or at least it will be under the tutelage of Bassick auto-shop teacher Stephen Blume — who likened it to building a car — and a cadre of two-dozen mentors, many of whom are still being recruited.
To aid in the recruitment effort, the partnership between Bassick and TangoFlight, an organization out of Texas, held a press event Tuesday morning with local and state officials and Aaron P. Hollander, a Tango ambassador of sorts.
“Our ulterior motive for today is to get the word out,” said Hollandar, who is chief executive officer of First Aviation Service Inc. headquartered of Westport.
Hollander said he has been trying to pair Tango with a Connecticut high school since January, got the state involved, and thought Bridgeport was the perfect place to start.
“I wanted to do this in a school where it will make a real difference in student lives,” said Holl ander.
First Aviation works on airplane repair and overhaul in several parts of the country. It learned of Tango Flight, an organization that introduces students to aviation industry careers by helping them build a plane, and thought it was a great idea.
“How exciting is it to come to school and build a plane?” said Hollander.
The plane Scott flew to Stratford took three years to build and has only been in flight about 23 hours.
“It’s brand new,” he said of the 1,320 pound plane with a 25 foot wing-span.
The state is excited because it could help more young people get interested in aviation and STEAM careers, those on hand Tuesday said.
“This is important for the future of the state,” said Bysiewicz. “We have 30,000 jobs in advanced manufacturing and we don’t have enough people coming out of school interested in doing these hands-on, great paying jobs.”
Colin Cooper, dubbed the state’s manufacturing czar, agreed and said for Connecticut to maintain its reputation as a leader in the aviation, it has to cultivate a future workforce.
“That is what a program like this does,” Cooper said.
Bridgeport Schools Superintendent Michael Testani said the program will help students explore dozens of careers paths.
“It fits into our vision for the new Bassick,” said Testani.
Earlier this month, the city and district announced that Bassick will relocate to a new building constructed on what is now the University of Bridgeport.
The kit and expertise to build the plane is funded by grants and comes at no expense to the district, officials said. When the plane is completed, it will be sold to finance the next student-built plane.
For now, two bays in the Bassick shop have been cleaned out and retrofitted for the plane’s assembly.
Blume, the autoshop teacher, said he selected 15 students who will work from 11 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. daily on the project. He is hoping to get 20 to 25 mentors from places like Sikorsky or Pratt and Whitney who will spend a day a week overseeing the assembly. The work will be inspected every step of the way, Blume added.
“It’s like a car kit with wings,” Blume said. The kit includes everything but the paint and fluids — including oil and fuel. The instructions, Hollander said, are extremely detailed.
Of course to work, Hollander said, there has to be in-person school in the fall.
“It can’t be done virtually,” Hollander said.
If School Board Chairman John Weldon is still on the board by the time the plane is complete, he said later in a tweet that he’d be willing to take a brief inaugural flight in it.
[email protected]; twitter.com/lclambeck
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