The Aviation Museum of New Hampshire is launching a search for the next high school to host its innovative high school student plane-building program.
Begun in 2019 in partnership with the Manchester (N.H.) School of Technology, the program gives young people the opportunity to build a real airplane.
Working alongside volunteer mentors, students assemble a two-seat all-metal aircraft as part of a credit-earning course. The completed airplane is then sold on the open market, with proceeds used to pay for the school’s next aircraft build, museum officials explained.
Following the success of the program in Manchester, the non-profit Aviation Museum established similar programs at Lebanon High School in 2024 and Farmington High School in 2025. Under the program, about 50 students are currently building aircraft as part of their high school classwork.
The museum is now seeking a fourth district ready to add “Airplane-Building” to its course line-up for the 2027-28 school year.
The plane-build program is open to any educational institution enrolling students of high school age, including public, private, charter, and parochial schools.
“We’re looking for a school ready to embrace this innovative partnership, with its potential to change students’ lives,” said Jeff Rapsis, executive director of the Aviation Museum of N.H.
The plane-building program is open to schools located anywhere in New Hampshire or in Massachusetts in Essex or Middlesex counties.
The program is offered at no direct cost to local taxpayers. The Aviation Museum of N.H. will commit to raising start-up funds of $320,000 needed to launch the plane-building program, after which it will be self-funding.
The Aviation Museum will also supply a team of trained adult mentors with backgrounds in the aviation or aerospace industries to work alongside the students.
“Our volunteers often bring decades of experience to the workshop, and form a crucial part of the plane-building program,” Rapsis said.
A partner in the venture is Tango Flight, a Texas-based educational non-profit that specializes in student plane-build programs.
Tango Flight provides accredited curriculum to support the program, plus carries liability insurance covering the program and the aircraft itself.
Although students build the airplane, they do not fly it. Under FAA regulations, only certified pilots can fly the aircraft, which will be a Sling 2 produced by the Sling Aircraft Co. of Torrance, Calif.
Interested districts are asked to submit a proposal to be considered. A copy of the Request for Proposals may be downloaded online at AviationMuseumofNH.org. Proposals are due by Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026.
Approximately 100 students have participated in the program to date. Of those, about half have either pursued aerospace-related education programs, taken jobs in aviation, or joined the military, museum officials report.
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