Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither will Launceston Church Grammar School’s ready-to-fly plane.
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The plane is being built as part of a new extra-curricular project offered by the school for students across grades 7 to 12, with many more interested in how the plane will be put together.
Teacher Cameron Rogers said some of the younger grades were not able to help out as much but he was excited about how much interest the plane project had generated.
“We try to accommodate as many students as possible who want to be part of the project.”
It’s expected the project will take about two years to complete, which will culminate in the first flight.
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Dr Rogers said building a plane was about much more than just the engineering side of the project, and it would teach students a variety of important skills.
“Building a plane is a lot easier, engineering-wise, than building a car, there’s less parts, so it makes a much better school project,” he said.
“Students don’t often get to be involved in such large-scale projects like this.”
Grammar student George Gray said he wanted to be involved in the project because of his family’s rich aviation history.
“My Dad and my grandfather were both pilots so aviation is in my blood, in a way,” he said.
While Mr Gray said he wasn’t sure if he’d end up in the aviation trade, he thought the school project would give him an insight into his family’s career.
He said he would definitely get his private pilot licence, which he is eligible to do when he is 15.
Launceston Church Grammar School has a proud aviation history, with former alumni of the school including Qantas founder Sir Wilmot Hudson Fysh and the inventor of the black box David Warren.
Dr Rogers said a number of students involved in the extra-curricular activity had already identified they wanted to be commercial pilots, so a project like this was perfectly suited.
Students involved in the project work two hours before and after school on Fridays.