Student Built RV6A Officially Launched

In Perth, Western Australia, a project started in March 1997 officially
concluded today (Sunday 19 October) with the Kent Street Senior High
School's Vans RV-6A getting the CASA greenlight to carry pax at a function
this afternoon at the Royal Aero Club of Western Australia.

8,500 student hours and over 11,000 rivets saw this:
http://members.iinet.net.au/~eaadams...6a/Dec2001.jpg
go to this:
http://members.iinet.net.au/~eaadams...6a/May2002.jpg
to this:
http://members.iinet.net.au/~eaadams...6a/Dec2002.jpg
then:
http://members.iinet.net.au/~eaadams...March2003A.jpg
http://members.iinet.net.au/~eaadams...March2003B.jpg
and then finally today:
http://members.iinet.net.au/~eaadams...a/Oct2003A.jpg
http://members.iinet.net.au/~eaadams...a/Oct2003B.jpg
http://members.iinet.net.au/~eaadams...a/Oct2003C.jpg

First flight of VH-SHS was on 4 September 2003 and has seen the successful
completion of the mandatory 25 hr testing.
This government high school has had a specialist aeronautics program for 23
years, combining aeronautical theory, aeroplane construction and pilot
training.
With the addition of VH-SHS Kent Street's fleet now totals three, joining a
C152 and a C172.
The construction was a fanatastic educational experience for all involved
and now provides a sports plane for the student pilots to move onto and
broaden their flying experience once they've completed the required
proficencies.
All construction (except painting and final fit out) was done at the
school's facility as show in the pix.
It was certainly a privilege to even have a very small part in this project,
which under the expert direction of David Bryant (VH-PLL), is something the
school and its extrememly supportive community can be very proud of.
My lasting memory of being involved was seeing 14-15 year old students, some
of whom could perhaps be a "challenge" in a maths or English class, being
given a piece of aluminium; being shown on the drawings the size, shape and
features they were to produce with this metal; then being shown on the
fuselage on the jig where the finished article was to fit; and then watching
them work at that - simply motivation plus!

I do have earlier pix of the project but they were taken pre-digital days
and require re-scanning - that's something to do later.

cheers
Aubrey