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Staff Report

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When the Wright brothers first came to fame, they faced countless doubters and endured endless ridicule over the idea that a machine could take flight. Scientists, engineers and intellectuals alike were dumbfounded when Orville and Wilbur made history as the first in flight.

 

Now, 120 years later and footsteps away from where the first flight took place, FFHS students are ready to prove that they, too, have the Wright stuff. Over the next two years, they’ll work together to build a plane that will soar higher and farther than the Wright brothers ever could have imagined.

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The new aviation program, facilitated through Tango Flight Inc., became a reality at First Flight thanks to the efforts of Assistant Superintendent Steve Blackstock and Dare County Schools Career and Technical Education Director Shannon Castillo. Tango Flight currently has aviation programs in schools in 25 states, but this is the first in North Carolina. The organization partners with Delta Air Lines, Garmin Technology and Airbus to help facilitate the programs.

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“I heard about this class partway through last year and I immediately thought, ‘Man, I want to do this. I want to be part of something big, and this is something big!’ ” senior Alex Harvey said. 

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The 24 students in the double-block third- and fourth-period class are looking forward to a wide variety of aspects that come with the aviation course. Some are taking this to escape the average classroom experience, while others are preparing for future careers.

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“I am most excited about seeing the progression on the plane through the year,” senior Luke Rubino said. “It’ll motivate me unlike a regular class, and I’m excited to fly it in the end.”

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Along with getting a unique classroom experience, explaining on a resume or college application that you built a plane that you later got to fly sounds pretty impressive.

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“I thought that this would be an interesting class,” junior Michael Eaton said. “Definitely good for a career and anything technical.”

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Junior Martin Liu wants to join the Air Force and become a pilot. Senior Cooper Kresecki plans to become an aviation maintenance technician in the Coast Guard. Senior Simon Burkhimer wants to pursue a career as a commercial pilot. Junior Ricky Williamson hopes this program helps him fulfill his dream of building custom cars. 

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Teaching a specialized class like this calls for a teacher with special skills. Admiral Joe Tynch was perfect for the job.

Tynch served as a helicopter pilot in the Navy for 33 years. He has never been a high school teacher before, but with his extensive knowledge and help from community mentors like Peter Fynn, Jim Davis and Judith Fearing, the class is ready to take off. 

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“Admiral Tynch is such a good guy because he wants to help the kids out,” junior Cameron Gabbert said. 

Added Rubino: “I love the passion he brings. He’s not a traditional teacher, he’s never taught a day in his life, but he likes to inspire kids.”

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Tynch’s enthusiasm for the project fills the special classroom space at the Wright Memorial maintenance yard, where the students gather each B Day for the 180-minute class. He’s not alone in sharing his love for aviation, though, with a number of partners coming together to make this happen.

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FFHS Career Development Coordinator Duke Wallin praised the partnership with the National Park Service: Officials with the NPS transformed a storage room with dirt floors into an amazing workspace with a concrete floor, shelving for parts and everything else the students need to get building. 

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“This is an exciting space where students can be engaged and learn from for years to come,” Wallin said. “The NPS has really stepped up as partners in education and made us feel welcome on their property.”

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The community mentors also can’t wait to guide these students every step of the way.

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“When I saw this program, I thought, ‘What a wonderful opportunity,’ ” Fynn said. “Not just for me, but for the kids.” 

Fynn used to build airplanes as a teenager before pursuing a career in engineering. Despite that different career path, he always loved aviation and remains active with remote-control airplanes.

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“When I retired and my wife passed away, I thought, ‘I am on my own. I’m going to go back to something I really enjoyed as a kid,’ ” Fynn said.

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Building a plane, even with the exact specifications and instructions provided by Tango Flight, will be a complicated project that could easily run into obstacles. Davis, for example, said that one of the hardest parts of this program will be delegating the students to build the separate components of the aircraft.

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Regardless of the difficulties, all of the mentors are extremely excited and have high hopes for the next two years.

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“My main goals are for everyone here to succeed in the class while safely building the aircraft,” Tynch said. “I want them to enjoy what they’re doing in the moment and to understand what a significant part of history they’ve joined. I want everyone to come out of here feeling proud of what they’ve done now and in a great position for whatever they want to do next.” 

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Fearing, who also chairs the First Flight Society Education Committee, stressed the significance this project holds as the first in North Carolina.

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“My goal is to keep the Wright brothers’ story alive,” Fearing said.

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If you are interested in seeing the progress FFHS is making on this project, visit the National Park Service Airplane Build Project. 

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Fourth-period newspaper students Kirra Cox, Kat Gregg, Ashleigh Haney, Maia Hyman, Ella Ogburn, Lana Walters and Kira Walters reported and wrote this story as a class project. Editor-in-Chief Kira Walters can be reached at walterski9577@daretolearn.org.