High Schoolers Build Two Glasair Sportsmen

Two groups of high school students have completed the Two Weeks to Taxi program at the Glasair factory in Arlington, Wash., building two copies of the four-seat Sportsman.

Two groups of high school students have completed the Two Weeks to Taxi program at the Glasair factory in Arlington, Wash., building two copies of the four-seat Sportsman, the company said on Tuesday. The students were chosen to participate after creating their own aircraft design that was judged by a panel from GAMA. "It was a remarkable experience for everyone involved," said GAMA CEO Pete Bunce, who worked side by side with the students during the two weeks. "The kids were focused, hard-working and enthusiastic. They were involved in every aspect of the build, and mastered tasks such as bucking rivets, installing windows, connecting the panel, wiring the engine and linking the controls." The program was co-sponsored by Build A Plane.

The two girls and six boys came from high schools in Michigan and Minnesota. They and their chaperones were provided with air transportation and housing for the two weeks. They also got to visit the Seattle Museum of Flight and went flying in a Sportsman aircraft, a Sportsman float plane, and a gull-wing Stinson. The company plans to complete the phase-one flight testing and then fly the two Sportsmen to Oshkosh later this month for EAA AirVenture. The students also will attend, and will be reunited with their airplanes.