High school plane-building program gets $10,000 boost

LEBANON, N.H. — Students in the new Take Flight student plane-building program at Lebanon High School have received a matching grant of $10,000 to help them start building aircraft this fall — but they need your help to claim it.

The matching $10,000 grant was offered by the family of Gene and Anne Slusser, long-time benefactors of the non-profit Aviation Museum of N.H., which is partnering with Lebanon High to create the Take Flight plane-building program at no direct cost to local taxpayers.

The grant will be used to match public donations to Take Flight of any size up to a total of $10,000 during the upcoming statewide NH Gives campaign, an online fundraising effort that takes place June 11-12, 2024.

To donate and have your contribution matched, go to NHGives.org starting on Tuesday, June 11, at 5 p.m., search for the “Aviation Museum,” and then donate. Donations must be made before Wednesday, June 12, at 5 p.m. to qualify for the match, according to museum officials.

All donations will be used to support the Take Flight program, and will be doubled up to $10,000 thanks to the Slusser matching grant.

Take Flight is based on a similar program in operation since 2019 at the Manchester School of Technology, a career and technical public high school in Manchester, N.H.

At Lebanon High School, a total of 14 students are enrolled in the program’s first year. The plane-building workshop will be housed in a three-bay garage on high school grounds currently undergoing renovations prior to the start of the program in September 2024.

Students will collaborate with volunteer mentors from the community to assemble a kit-based two-seat all-metal Van’s Aircraft RV-12iS.

Once finished and certified as airworthy by FAA inspectors, the aircraft will be sold on the open market, with proceeds to be used to pay for the next student build in the Take Flight program, all at no direct cost to local taxpayers, museum officials explained.

To establish the program, the non-profit Aviation Museum is raising $310,000 in start-up funds through donations and grants. To date, the museum and the school have secured $215,000 in pledges from major donors, including $50,000 from the Byrne Foundation, $50,000 from the Couch Family Foundation, and $90,000 in federal grant funds via the office of U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen.

Now donations are being sought from the community to help reach the goal — in part by maxing out the $10,000 match during NH Gives on June 11-12.

“We’ve made good progress in establishing a base for this innovative, life-changing program,” said Jeff Rapsis, executive director of the Aviation Museum of N.H. “Now it’s time for the community to help us reach our goal so that students can Take Flight. This $10,000 matching campaign during NH Gives is a terrific way for everyone’s donations to go further and really make a difference.”

NH Gives is an annual online fundraising event to support the state’s non-profits. More information about the program can be found at NHGives.org.

For more information: AviationMuseumOfNH.org or 603-669-4820.