PROVISION. That has been the recurring motif of the Savannah S kit build. Every Wednesday, the Aerospace workshop buzzes to life as Senior Students and Build Mentors gather to construct our second Savannah S kit aircraft. Every Wednesday, we always have enough – enough students, mentors and plane parts! We’ve witnessed this from the start of the build project with our first kit aircraft and engine donated, and have now seen God’s provision through the second build, being able to acquire a second kit and a new Rotax engine.
The second Savannah S build has been predominantly led by our Year 12 build students, with mentors supervising and sharing their expertise. The build has welcomed a new mentor, Chris, and it is wonderful to see past students who are returning to mentor and give back what was given to them.
As seen in previous builds, the empennage (tail area) of the plane was swiftly completed. The right wing is good to go, while the left wing undergoes fuel tank fittings. The rear fuselage (body) of the Savannah S is finished, with the front fuselage being carefully constructed every week.
Just as quickly as we have seen the Savannah S being pieced together, we are seeing our students grow in skill, maturity and competence. They have been expertly guided by their mentors when things don’t quite go according to the manual, and are well practised with interpreting the construction manual (which is partly in Italian), riveting and deburring – all necessary and impressive skills for a high school aircraft builder to have.
Instead of painting this Savannah S, student builders have added “aircraft polishing” to their list of skills, as we hope to give the aircraft a mirror-like finish by polishing the bare aluminium.
Student builders have never lacked the generous support of our mentors, teachers and admin staff. Mentors have each taken turns in sharing ​stories from their diverse careers – some of which include first-hand war stories. With what we have been provided physically, a space has been created and sustained where new skills are learnt, stories are shared, and passion is passed down from one generation of aviators to the next.