Students in the plane-building program at Lebanon High School in New Hampshire, which launched in September 2024, build their first two-seat Van's RV-12iS all-metal aircraft. [Courtesy: Jeff Rapsis/ Aviation Museum of New Hampshire]
Key Takeaways:
Tango Flight is a nonprofit organization that enables high school students across multiple states to build airworthy Van’s RV-12 kitplanes using STEM concepts.
The program's core mission is to inspire and prepare the next generation for careers in aviation, including engineering, piloting, and mechanics, through practical, hands-on experience.
While initial program establishment requires significant funding (e.g., ~$300,000 per site, often through donations coordinated by partners like the Aviation Museum of New Hampshire), the sale of completed aircraft helps make subsequent builds largely self-funding.
If you are of a certain age, the projects in high school shop classes were likely building bird houses, ashtrays and—if you were really lucky—working on a car.
Can you imagine how different high school would have been if shop class focused on building an airplane?
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Meg Godlewski has been an aviation journalist for more than 24 years and a CFI for more than 20 years. If she is not flying or teaching aviation, she is writing about it. Meg is a founding member of the Pilot Proficiency Center at EAA AirVenture and excels at the application of simulation technology to flatten the learning curve. Follow Meg on Twitter @2Lewski.
