But if you take a closer look , you can actually see a wing of a real plane , spare aircraft parts , and the names of students and their assigned tasks written on a chalkboard . This room was the first home of ASK ’ s successful “ Teen- Flight ” program .
In 2006 , Dick VanGrunsven ’ s company , Van ’ s Aircraft , developed the Light Sport Class RV-12 kit plane . VanGrunsven realized that the kits could be assembled by beginners like high school students . He wanted to offer an experience that he would ’ ve loved in his youth , and so TeenFlight was born . TeenFlight is now located at the hangar facility at the Hillsboro Airport ( HIO ) in Hillsboro , Oregon . There have been seven mentor-led cohorts , each running for a period of about a year and a half . The program runs at no cost to the students and families and boasts a 99 percent retention rate among the students . Airway Science for Kids is the first organization to create a program like this , and after hearing about its success , organizations across the country have adopted the TeenFlight model .
Every Saturday from September to June , fourteen teenagers spend their day at the hanger in Hillsboro . They work together to build an RV-12 from the ground up . For some students , it is their first experience with aviation , but others have been involved with the field for years . One such student , Ivette , is in the TeenFlight 8 cohort which began during the COVID-19 pandemic .
22 LET ’ S GO AEROSPACE