A group of teenagers in South Jersey are learning how to build a plane through a program called Teen Aviation of New Jersey.
The teens, ages 13 to 18, meet every Saturday at the Flying W Airport in Medford.
“If you had told me three years ago that I would build an airplane, I would have laughed,” says student Dishita Singh.
The group consists of aspiring pilots and engineers and is led by experienced mentors with an aviation background.
“I love airplanes very much,” said Singh.
The program started a few years ago. Michael Lester was one of the first. For him, there is no place he would rather be.
“This is the highlight of my week,” Lester said. “I made almost every meeting.”
The students spent weeks building the plane piece by piece. It will ultimately be a single-engine, two-seater aircraft.
“The first thing we had them do was build the toolbox,” said Joseph Zetkulic, the program manager.
Zetkulic said it was a simple project that helped them learn the basics, but that’s not all. He said they also build friendships.
“The best thing I see is that they learn to work together,” he said.
Working together on a project they can all be proud of. It will take a few more years before the plane is complete, but they are already thinking about how special that day will be.
“It’s going to feel really good, that’s all I know,” Lester said.
The plan is to sell it. And if they’re brave enough, they might even get the chance to fly in.
“It will just be magical,” said Anay Berma.
Talented children who literally prove that the sky is the limit.
Zetkulic said the program, funded by donations, aims to raise money to keep the program running.
If you want to know more, you can visit the website.
