Wisconsin high school aviation program; 'change the life of a few kids'

BURLINGTON, Wis. - The next time you’re on a flight, think about this – do you know who actually built the plane? Would you want to? That’s not meant to scare you. It’s to give you an appreciation for a unique program at a high school in southeast Wisconsin.

On a bluebird day at the Burlington Airport, high school senior Travis Senft is in his element. 

"I’ve been around planes all my life," Travis said.

The son of a pilot, he was practically born with wings. 

"He soloed on his 16th birthday, which happens to be the 4th of July," said Jim Senft, teacher.

It is the ultimate display of independence. 

"It’s amazing. I mean you can see for miles. It’s beautiful," Travis said. 

For Travis, a flight like this is routine. What’s out of the ordinary – for Wisconsin, or anywhere else – is the plane itself. Travis is flying a plane built by a bunch of high school kids – some of whom don’t have a driver’s license, let alone an engineering degree.

Back on solid ground in Kenosha County, this plain shed behind Central H.S. is where dreams take flight.

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"When I was growing up, an airplane would fly by and everybody would look up," said Jim Senft. 

Travis' dad has a dream to change the way we look at the world.

"Today, an airplane flies by, nobody looks up anymore," Jim said. "The program is bringing aviation to kids that would never be involved in aviation."

Back in 2014, a meeting with the school principal ended with a compromise.

"At the end she looked up and goes, ‘Wow, you’re really serious about this aren’t you?’" Jim said. "The school doesn’t really want much to do with an aircraft, because of the liability."

Jim started Falcon Aviation, an after-school STEM program partnered with Eagle’s Nest Projects out of Texas.

"There’s two other programs in Texas and then us here in Wisconsin. How does that happen?" Jim said. 

The all-volunteer, donation-funded effort starts at the bottom.

"There are 100,000 parts. And all these little parts need to be inventoried," Jim said. 

Now they’re here. 

If the principal took some serious convincing, imagine the parents.

"My dad, he was all for it. He thought it was a great opportunity. My mom… oh," said Tyler Schoolcraft, a high school senior. 

Schoolcraft’s father is in the Air Force. His mother – eventually – saw the larger life lesson.

"It’s intimidating from the start. So many parts. But everything goes into place. As long as you keep on grinding, keep on building the plane, everything fits together, and we get to where we are now," Tyler said.

This is no flight of fancy. Over months, if not years, students meticulously work through the instructions.

"This manual is just shy of 500 pages," Jim Senft said. "Every nut, every bolt has a torque to it. Every rivet has a specific tension strength…That’s probably the biggest thing you have to learn is how to get in the mindset of problem-solving."

Over eight years now, about 250 students have gone through the program. They’ve built three planes. Some earned their pilot’s license in a plane built by their peers.

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"We have 16 pilots that have gone through the program," said Jim Senft.

"It really isn’t as daunting as it might seem from an outsider," Tyler said.

"I’ve flown a couple of my friends, and they think it’s awesome," Travis saaid. 

From there, the sky’s the limit.

"Valarie is in a professional pilot program… aerospace engineering," Jim Senft said. "She is now working for the FAA certifying new aircraft parts."

As for the latest crop, Tyler is where else this fall – the Air Force Academy. Travis is studying aviation and flight technology at Lewis University.

"And then I’m hoping to get a corporate pilot job with a big company and fly jets all around the world," Travis said.

And Jim stays, of all things, grounded. 

"This program is not going to change the world, but I can definitely change the life of a few kids," Jim said.

He’d rather watch his students soar.