Students in New Hampshire’s largest school district have built their second fully functional aircraft as part of an innovative aviation program.
Earlier in October, the students from Manchester School of Technology (MST) unveiled their Van’s RV-12iS recreational airplane near the Aviation Museum of New Hampshire, located near Manchester-Boston Regional Airport (KMHT).
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“On my first day at MST, I was thrilled to discover there was an RV-12. I was surprised the plane would be FAA-approved,” said Katrina Maglio, a 2025 graduate who is enrolled in the aviation program at Nashua Community College and works at Signature Aviation.
The program gives high school students academic credit and technical skills through building the plane. This program is a partnership between the Manchester School District, the Aviation Museum of New Hampshire, and Tango Flight, a Texas-based nonprofit organization that works to expand educational opportunities through aircraft construction.
“It’s just amazing to be here and to see this come together when it was just in boxes in the school building. To see it come to fruition today is just incredible,” said Manchester Mayor Jay Ruais.
The work on the kitplane began in 2023, with almost 50 students contributing to the project over the last three years, under the supervision of an aviation instructor.
“It’s not just building a plane. It’s building a life and the mentors are all part of that, but the students are the core of it,” aviation instructor Jeff Sullivan said.
The program began back in 2019 and combines project-based learning with classroom instruction. The aircraft is sold and the proceeds are reinvested into the next build.
“Aviation and aerospace is a major contributor to our quality of life in this state. Twenty-four percent of exports are aviation related,” said Jeff Rapsis, executive director of the Aviation Museum of New Hampshire.
A ceremony was held where a water cannon salute was given, and students, volunteers, school and community members, and state and local leaders saw the plane.
“To all of the students here, building a plane is an incredible accomplishment,” New Hampshire Governor Kelly Ayotte said. “You have to really come together as a team to build it. For you to do something that you know people are going to be safe in… You’re building something that’s really important, and you did this, what an amazing accomplishment.”
The aircraft will be inspected by the FAA before it can fly, then complete its ground and flight testing. Once the tests are done, the aircraft will be sold through Tango Flight.
Two other schools in New Hampshire have similar programs, and the Aviation Museum of New Hampshire is looking for a fourth school to take part in either the Granite State or in Essex or Middlesex counties in Massachusetts.