Fire for Flight

Fire for Flight

November 12, 2021

Ever wish you could fly? See the world from above? Well, a group of SCH students are hot to do just that! In fact, they are even building their own plane to help them soar to new heights. With a fire in their belly, a dozen Upper School students gather in the robotics lab twice a week at 6:45 AM (!) to fabricate parts and assemble components as they build a BD-4C, a four passenger, single engine aircraft with a 26-foot wingspan.

This build-it-yourself airplane kit was donated to the school by BedeCorp through the Bede Family Foundation in 2015, in response to a letter received from two SCH engineering students who were hot to build their own plane. Three years ago, this current group of students took over the project (some pictured), patiently assembling the pieces to the metal fuselage and watching it take shape in the corner of the robotics lab.

“This is just insanely cool,” says senior Ryan Comisky. “Where else is a student going to have the experience of building an airplane in high school?” What’s more is that it's the journey, not the destination, for this crew given the fact that the project began in 2015 and has no end in sight—yet! Their passion is fueled by the notion that they have done something truly special and will forever be a part of the plane’s legacy: passion and resilience.

Pictured: Mac Levin, Naomi Becker, Ryan Comisky, Sam Halfpenny, Liam Reeves, Franny Downs, Hannah Lexer, and Danny O'Connor

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Our 2021-22 social media campaign, Fired Up Fridays, pays tribute to the message engraved in the stone mantelpiece above the fireplace in the Henry Library that reads: “Kyndle yr awne ffyre” (Kindle Your Own Fire). Each Friday we will shine a light on members of the school community whose passion runs deep for a particular interest, activity, class, or hobby. #FiredUpFridays posts on Insta and Facebook, so be sure to follow along!

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