Airbus Flying Challenge Program Helps High School Students Build Experimental

For the 3rd consecutive year, Wichita, Kansas-area high school students have successfully built a Van’s RV-12 experimental light sport aircraft as part of an educational program sponsored by the Airbus Foundation. The aircraft has been displayed as part of the Airbus exhibit at EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. The program, the Airbus Flying Challenge, is one of the Airbus Foundation’s flagship youth development efforts.

Since 2011, the program has been inspiring at-risk youths to continue their education, find their professional vocation and realize their dreams through mentorship with Airbus employees and hands-on experience with aircraft.

The Airbus Foundation provides funding for the Flying Challenge program through the educational non-profit Tango Flight, of Georgetown, Texas. Students built the aircraft under the supervision of volunteer mentors from Airbus Americas’ Engineering Center in Wichita and the Wichita State University Campus of Applied Sciences and Technology (WSU Tech).

Students that were involved in the program for the 2018-2019 school-year completed a second RV-12 to raise funds for the 2019-2020 program. “Airbus believes in investing in the future of aviation and aerospace” said Jeff Knittel Chairman of Airbus Americas. “We are proud to play a role in attracting talent by stimulating the interest of young people in flying and undertaking aerospace careers in this exciting and rewarding industry.”

“The Airbus Flying Challenge is a global project. We’ve launched similar educational efforts in conjunction with the Airbus commercial aircraft plants in Mobile, Alabama and in Mirabel, Quebec, Canada as well as the Airbus Aerial subsidiary in Atlanta.”

The Airbus Foundation launched the Flying Challenge program in Wichita in 2017 with a grant to Tango Flight, which contracts with the Maize (a suburb of Wichita) School District. WSU Tech provides a project leader to oversee the program and direct the students’ work, while 35 mentors from the Airbus facility in Wichita donated their time over the last year to work with the students, spending over 1,400 hours on the program.

Tango Flight has retained the aircraft on display in Oshkosh (N266TF) for the Wichita program. It is based in nearby Benton, Kansas, for use by mentors and students as a learning and motivational tool.

The Flying Challenge program has been operating in Brazil since 2018 and in Mexico since 2019. With more than 60 employee-volunteers from sites in Mexico City and Itajuba, Brazil, the STEM-based mentoring program has already reached 200 primary school students in those countries.

The Flying Challenge has involved more than 5,000 students worldwide and over 2,000 Airbus employee-volunteers. The program is now operating at 18 locations in eight countries.

MORE ABOUT AIRBUS

Airbus is a global leader in aeronautics, space and related services. In 2018 it generated revenues of $83 billion and employed a workforce of around 134,000. Airbus offers the most comprehensive range of passenger airliners. Airbus is also a leader providing tanker, combat, transport and mission aircraft, as well as one of the world’s leading space companies. In helicopters, Airbus provides the most efficient civil and military rotorcraft solutions worldwide.

To learn more about the Airbus Flying Challenge and other youth development initiatives at Airbus, go to: https://www.airbus.com/company/airbus-foundation/ youth-development-initiatives/americas.html