G-YTLY

Yateley School in Hampshire has successfully completed the first flight of a two-seat aeroplane, making it the first school in the UK to build and fly a light aircraft.

The project is a part of Boeing and Royal Aeronautical Society (RaeS) ‘Schools Build a Plane Challenge’, which seeks to motivate young people in the areas of science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM).

G-YTLY a RANS Coyote 2 was constructed from a kit by students, guided by teachers and local volunteers from the RAeS and LAA along with support from Boeing.

The team that built the Yateley airliner also included students from Court Moor School in Fleet and Kings College in Guildford.

Currently, the aeroplane is under test flying conditions and once complete, G-YTLY will receive the permit to fly.

Six schools are at various stages of their aircraft build, from Yateley that has flown its aircraft, through to Ernesford Grange School that took delivery of their aircraft kit in September 2012.

The ‘Schools Build a Plane Challenge’ aims to sell a completed aeroplane to aviation enthusiasts, which will help fund the purchase of further kits in order to ensure the sustainability of the project in the long-term.

Launched in 2008, the challenge is supported by Boeing and managed by the RAeS in association with the Light Aircraft Association (LAA).

The challenge encourages young people to gain knowledge of the aerospace sector, demonstrates its economic importance to the UK and offers them a range of related career paths.

Boeing UK president Roger Bone said the future of the UK aerospace industry depends on encouraging young people to consider rewarding, sustainable careers in this sector.

"By taking students through the various stages of building and then flying a light aircraft, the project has brought those involved to the exciting world of aviation and aerospace."

"The ‘Schools Build a Plane Challenge’ is part of Boeing’s global commitment to the communities in which we work," he said.

"It aims to inspire young people to explore the wide variety of aerospace careers available to them, not only with Boeing but also with our extensive supply chain here in the UK."

RaeS chief executive officer Simon Luxmoore said this first flight of G-YTLY is a very significant milestone in this ground-breaking project in which the Royal Aeronautical Society has been proud to be involved.

"By taking students through the various stages of building and then flying a light aircraft, whilst introducing an educational element to all of those important steps, the project has brought those involved to the exciting world of aviation and aerospace."

"We are pleased to be a key partner in this unprecedented initiative and we thank Boeing for their continued support and enthusiasm, which has allowed us to introduce our exciting sector to those engineers and pilots of tomorrow."

Image: The G-YTLY a RANS Coyote 2 aircraft was constructed from a kit by the students and was supervised by teachers, volunteers from the RaeS and LAA along with support from Boeing. Photo: courtesy of Andrew Smith Photography.

Defence Technology