Interest in aviation takes flight during teen weekend

Nanima Spencer sees aviation as her career path. Inspiration for this decision came while participating at a recent Teen Aviation Weekend at the Independence airport. Spencer, a high school student, is pursuing her pilot’s certification and is part of the teen build program. Programs like these are sponsored by the local chapter of the Experimental Aircraft Association. Photo by Lance Masterson.

INDEPENDENCE - An opportunity to join other teens in building a plane is what elevated Nanima Spencer’s interest in aviation.

The Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) chapter at the Independence airport hosts two Teen Aviation Weekends each year. The first is in October, the second in March.

Spencer attended the October weekend, in part because of her father’s urgings. Bob Spencer is a pilot and EAA member.

But then something happened to Nanima. She awakened a passion within her.

“Yeah, I wasn’t that interested in it” at first, Spencer said. “But then I just really got into aviation after it.”

Catalyst for this transformation was a Van’s RV-12 two-seater, and the team of teens that built it into a flyable machine.

“It was the teen build. They were building a plane, they finished the plane, and I was like, well, that’s really cool,” she said. “And then they mentioned that we could be a part of the new teen build, so I signed up for it.”

That first plane, the RV-12, has since been sold to a mill owner in Ohio.

The second plane, the one being built, is a Jabiru out of Australia. Estimates are it could be two years before it's ready to fly.

The Jabiru is a partially built kit plane that was donated to the chapter. As of now, the plane consists of an unfinished fuselage, unattached wings and not much else. 

EAA chapter members oversee teen builds. Work performed by students must meet government specifications and pass inspections.

Spencer, who volunteered at the second weekend, not only wants to help build an airplane; she wants to fly them professionally. Though still in high school, she is training for her pilot’s certification.

Aviation “just seems like a pretty fun career, and I didn’t really have a career plan after high school,” she said.

During Teen Aviation Weekend, experienced presenters, many with prestigious pedigrees within the industry, detail career prospects. Teens also receive instruction in such skills as aerodynamics, how to prepare a flight plan and how to “pilot” a simulator.

There’s also a section where teens build their own hand-held gliders. Then take them outdoors for a test flight. It’s a chance for teens to put into practice what they learned.

Thirteen teens are part of the current build. Work sessions last six hours, and are held Saturdays throughout the year, including summer.

“You have to dedicate yourself ... and prove that you want to be here,” Spencer said. “It’s a real commitment.”

A student gains hands-on experience with a Redflight simulator during Teen Aviation Weekend, sponsored by the Experimental Aircraft Association chapter at Independence airport. This simulator is the most advanced of the three owned by the chapter. Joe Mullahan instructs. Photo by Lance Masterson.

Teen Aviation Weekend remains popular, drawing participants from throughout the region. A maximum 28 teens participated this past weekend.

“There’s a lot of different directions a young person can pursue after participating in any of our programs. Teen Aviation Weekend, the teen build, or learning how to fly. All of which we sponsor here,” EAA Trustee Maurice Gunderson said. “You don’t have to necessarily be a career pilot. We’ve had people come through our program who ended up being airplane mechanics.”

One former participant studies mechanical and aerospace engineering at Oregon State University. Her goal is to become a flight test engineer.

“This is STEM education. Science, Technology, Engineering and Math,” Gunderson said. “There are robotics competitions that high school students participate in. That doesn’t mean they go into the robotics industry. Similar here. You can learn STEM skills with aircraft and then go a different direction. What’s important is that students know there’s a career path out there for them.”

There are also industry-related jobs out there for them.

“This is probably the best time since World War II to be training for aviation,” Gunderson said. “There’s a bunch of reasons for this. The demand for pilots and mechanics is higher than anytime I can remember…. Of course, everything STEM is in very high demand right now.”

One step toward developing a competent workforce is to attract young people to the industry.

“It’s really hard for young people to learn about aviation as a career path. It doesn’t come up in schools. It just doesn’t come up,” Bob Spencer said. “We use this as a way of teaching students about flying.”

Nanima Spencer grew up in a flying family. That’s not the case for many of the teens.

Most “of the kids that came to Teen Aviation Weekend, and then onto teen build, most of these kids don’t have a family history of aviation. So they’ve picked up that interest and motivation on their own and have pursued it,” Bob Spencer said. “It really is new, fresh talent coming into general aviation.”

Thus, Teen Aviation Weekend unlocks opportunity by providing youth with the confidence and opportunity to soar.

“I can understand this. I can do it. And now I see where maybe there’s a path for me in aviation,” Bob Spencer said of the program’s influence. “It increases the awareness to a point where teens can say I can do this.”