Aviation Museum of N.H. seeking next community to offer plane-building to students during the 2027-28 school year; no direct cost to local taxpayers
LONDONDERRY, N.H. — It's a case of opportunity knocking. Or actually, opportunity landing.
The Aviation Museum of N.H. has launched a search for the next school to host its innovative high school student plane-building program.
Begun in 2019 in partnership with the Manchester (N.H.) School of Technology, the program gives young people the opportunity to build a real flyable airplane.
Working alongside volunteer mentors, students assemble a two-seat all-metal aircraft as part of a credit-earning course. The completed airplane is then sold on the open market, with proceeds used to pay for the school's next aircraft build.
Following the success of the program in Manchester, the non-profit Aviation Museum established similar programs at Lebanon (N.H.) High School in 2024 and Farmington (N.H.) High School in 2025. Under the program, about 50 students are currently building aircraft as part of their high school classwork.
The museum is now seeking a fourth district ready to add "Airplane Building" to its course line-up for the 2027-28 school year.
The plane-build program is open to any educational institution enrolling students of high school age, including public, private, charter, and parochial schools.
"We're looking for a school ready to embrace this innovative partnership, with its potential to change students' lives," said Jeff Rapsis, executive director of the Aviation Museum of N.H.
The plane-building program is open to schools located anywhere in New Hampshire, or in Massachusetts in Essex or Middlesex counties.
The program is offered at no direct cost to local taxpayers. The Aviation Museum of N.H. will commit to raising start-up funds of $320,000 needed to launch the plane-building program, after which it will be self-funding.
The Aviation Museum will also supply a team of trained adult mentors with backgrounds in the aviation or aerospace industries to work alongside the students.
"Our volunteers often bring decades of experience to the workshop. They form a crucial part of the plane-building program," Rapsis said.
Interested districts are asked to submit a proposal to be considered. A copy of the Request for Proposals may be downloaded online at www.aviationmuseumofnh.org. Proposals are due by Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026.
The Aviation Museum, a non-profit 501(c)3 tax-exempt organization based in the 1937 Art Deco passenger terminal at Manchester-Boston Regional Airport, is dedicated to preserving the Granite State's rich aviation past, and also inspiring today's students to become the aviation pioneers of tomorrow.
For more information, visit www.aviationmuseumofnh.org or call (603) 669-4820. Follow the Aviation Museum on social media at www.facebook.com/nhahs.
