TEHACHAPI, Calif. (KERO) — Students gain guidance from mentors during a free class to learn how to build a plane at Tehachapi Airport.
- For those interested in becoming a mentor or taking the class (must be in high school), call president Paul Nafziger at (661) 972-3156.
- Some former students have gone on to become engineers or pilots at businesses nearby, Nafziger says.
- The classes are Monday and Wednesday 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. During the summer they meet 8 a.m. to 11 a.m.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
A hands-on training class gives students aviation skills of top flight proportions. I'm Steve Virgen, your neighborhood reporter. The high school students are getting this valuable training by learning how to build something you wouldn't believe.
(start with nat snd....)
Virgen: What are your aspirations?
Natalie Wilson: I want to be a charter pilot.
Natalie Wilson believes the build-a-plane program will get her that much closer to her dreams. She’s among a handful of high school students who are a part of the free build-a plane-program.
The sessions take place twice a week at Tehachapi Airport, and as the name implies, students work on building an actual airplane.
“I like it a lot better than school because it’s teaching me things but I actually get to do stuff instead of writing it on paper or solve problems abstractly. I get to do things,” says Zachary Scrivner, a student.
The students receive guidance from mentors who have decades of experience. Build-A-Plane is a non-profit program supported by local businesses.
"I get more benefit than the kids do I think. I just really enjoy it. They always surprise me. Even though I’ve seen them for six years now, I’m still surprised to see how they progress and how eager they are,” says Paul Nafziger, president of the Build-A-Plane program.
“It’s a great program. We welcome all the kids even if they want to try it to see if they like it. Get off those computers at home and come out and do something constructive. Build an airplane," says Wayne Pedroza, a Build-A-Plane mentor.
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