Not Everyone Gets to be a Genius

NOT EVERYONE GETS TO BE A

GENIUS

By Brock Hoops

Throughout my education, I always thought that I was going to be an engineer. When it came around to college, I was disappointed to find out that it lacked the challenge which in turn made me question if this was the right career for me. Because of all of the time and money I put into going to this college, I knew I needed to add to my resume and make sure that I stood out.

I decided I would look for some extracurriculars to dedicate myself to while I was in college. One day I got an email about an internship, called Genius Garage, that was going to have the great opportunity to build a full-scale replica of a Sopwith Camel. The internship was only going to last for a few months and the build was going to be done by students. Because of my fascination with aircraft, I knew that I had to be part of the process.

I sent in my resume and was accepted to get an interview. It was the longest interview I ever had, and I was asked intense questions about me and my interests, goals, and future. I was amazed that it was more about me as a person, because in most of my experiences, interviewers only cared about the paper and what was on it. I knew that after that, this was not going to be a typical internship.

I was told to think about the time commitment that it would take and call after I knew with certainty if I wanted to be part of it or not. The next day I called back and informed the founder that I wanted to commit to the project and see it through to the end. He accepted me on that very phone call. I yelled out with joy, despite the number of odd glances from other students around me at the time. I felt highly enthusiastic about Genius Garage and knew what it could mean for me and my future.

The early stages of the Sopwith Camel, or better known as “The Jackal”, were filled with fun and intimidation. The blueprints for the plane were not as detailed or direct as we hoped, but that made it perfect for an educational internship. The program truly was going to teach young students, like me, the finer details of engineering and fabrication. It was amazing being able to create such a huge project with very little knowledge about the subject because of the mentors that Genius Garage offered. Between the work and the stress of schoolwork and building the airplane, all of us were making jokes and laughing and bonding. We all agreed that this project was beyond our academic experience because it required fabrication tools such as cordless drills, metal shears, and manual rivet guns.

Roughly midway through the build of our plane, we were told that if we could complete this plane by AirVenture (one of the largest aviation events held in Oshkosh, Wisconsin), we could take the plane and have it on display on the flight line, front and center. This meant that we had to complete the construction of the wings, get the fabric on the entire plane, and paint the entire plane in five weeks.

This was no easy task for five full time college students. Our next few weeks were filled with late nights and early mornings as we prepared for midterms in college and worked on a plane that we grew to love. We knew how much this plane meant to us and we knew it needed to stand out, so we choose the wildest paint scheme that was ever on an airplane in WWI. The 1000th Sopwith Camel made at the Ruston and Lincoln Co. had a special paint job that was styled after an Egyptian Sun god and we decided we would duplicate that paint scheme on our plane.

We finished the paint and the plane looked great. We were able to trailer the plane to Oshkosh. We were front and center at AirVenture with some amazing other WWI Replica planes and the week we spent in Oshkosh was definitely worth all the hard work that all of us put in.

The number of planes, fantastic people, and events to take part in at AirVenture was something none of us expected and we found the whole experience intoxicating and exhilarating! We spent time getting to know other aviation enthusiasts, watched as planes constantly went up and down the runways, and spent late nights experiencing all the events that went on.

I was the only student that never had the opportunity to fly on any kind of commercial jet or any other plane. As part of the event, people are able to fly on a 1929 Ford Tri-Motor, so of course my team pushed me to get my first flight in a “rickety” old plane. It was the most amazing experience that I will never forget. This was the exact moment that sparked my passion to one day own a plane of my own.

Since I knew that my favorite plane (an SR-71), was a bit more than a long shot for a plane of my own, I talked to different pilots at AirVenture and learned about a beautiful plane that I knew I could afford one day and would love to learn to fly. I had my heart set on a Long-EZ.

My mentor at Genius Garage knew of my newfound love of the Long-EZ. By astonishing coincidence he was approached by a generous connection a few states away that wanted to donate his Long-EZ to our program. After a long weekend road trip, we got our new plane back to our garage where I now have the opportunity to restore a Long-EZ!

This year, I was appointed the new student leader of the Genius Garage Aerospace Program. I am looking forward to learn all the techniques and knowledge that go with composite airplanes in my new leadership role. This is an opportunity I never would have got in college and one I am incredibly grateful for.

The future at Genius Garage is bright for me. As a leader I will have the opportunity to take part in mentoring younger students in projects like a static model of a BD-5 Micro Jet, work on modeling a Formula One Reno Air Race plane, and help grow a YouTube channel to provide educational videos to students around the world.

I initially wanted to join Genius Garage because I needed something that college was not giving me. I ended up getting opportunities I never thought someone in my position could have. These great things that I have done and will do are the stories that I will tell in job interviews. It is my goal to land my dream job at a company like Scaled Composites, SpaceX, or NASA and I think my time at Genius Garage is why I will not be just another resume in the pile.

The aerospace industry is always on the leading edge of innovation and Genius Garage has provided me with the most innovative way to approach education that I have ever seen. This is why I think Genius Garage will continue into the future and continue to provide the most amazing opportunities for students to shine a little brighter.