NEWS & PHOTOS
Teen Aviation of New Jersey in the local news
October 26, 2024: Ray Strickland from CBS3 Philadelphia visited us today for a segment aired this evening on the 11PM news. Clink on the link below to view the video. Thanks for stopping by Ray, we enjoyed your visit and look forward to having you back again.
October 18, 2024: Jennaphr Frederick with Fox29 Good Day Philadelphia stopped by today to do a story on Teen Aviation of New Jersey. Great job by our students showcasing our program, and thanks to Jennaphr and her crew for making the event so enjoyable for all of us. And yes Jennaphr, we will take you up on that offer to take a ride in the airplane when it's done.
Philadelphia Inquirer Sunday Edition October 6, 2024
Would you fly a plane built by kids? If it’s these Jersey kids, you might even buy it.
Meet the members of Teen Aviation of New Jersey, a free, mentor-led program where young people build planes.
by Rita Giordano
CLICK ON THE CARROT TO THE RIGHT TO VIEW THE TEXT OF THE ARTICLE
Every Saturday, a bunch of flight-loving friends meet up in the same small hangar at Flying W Airport in Medford. Their passion project is there: a two-seater experimental aircraft they are building from scratch. All aluminum silver and rivets now, when it’s done it will be a beauty. And it’ll sell for some real money, too.
Building a plane is no small undertaking. It requires precision, great attention, and care. This crew has all that, but there’s something that sets them apart from most others who would take on this task: Their parents have to drop them off. Most of these plane builders aren’t yet old enough to drive.
Meet the members of Teen Aviation of New Jersey, a free, mentor-led program that fuels young people’s interest in aviation by giving them the hands-on experience of building an actual aircraft.
“I feel like I learn something new every time I’m here,” said Brady Cowden, 16, a homeschool student from Collingswood.
There are Teen Aviation groups elsewhere in the country, the New Jersey program is the only in this area. Its members are a diverse group of a dozen teens ages 13 to 18. They come from all over the Garden State. It’s a time investment. The group meets every Saturday for five hours at the Medford airport, filling the hangar with sounds of drills, tools, and teenage banter. But the members say they wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.
“My son’s one of the newbies,” said Ravi Verma, 46, a software engineer, whose boy Anay, 14, joined about a month ago and has been passionate about aviation since age 10. He’s already taking flying lessons. They come from a distance; the family lives in Jersey City. When Anay found the program online, “he said, ‘It’s a commitment, but do you mind driving me?’ I said, ‘Let’s go!’” A freshman in a high school engineering program, “he’s been telling all his classmates about Teen Aviation. ‘ You guys should come down.’” “It’s very fun indeed,” Anay said.
Parker Perez, 17, a junior at Northern Burlington High School, was interested in aviation but he wasn’t sure about giving up his Saturdays until he actually went to the program. “I was like, I like this, I like this a lot.” Now a couple years in, the Columbus student is starting to see their plane go from parts to taking real form. When it’s done, the members will get to go for a ride in it. “It’ll be really cool. Wow. We actually built this thing, and I’m actually going in the sky,” he said.
The mentors that make It happen
The adult mentors in Teen Aviation know all about that kind of joy. Their backgrounds range from commercial or private pilots, engineering, manufacturing, and the military. They all volunteer their time, and the program is funded totally by donations. Even the use of the hangar was donated. Eventually the aircraft the kids are building will be sold to fund the next one, fetching around $150,000.
The goal of the program is to introduce teenagers to career possibilities in STEM and aviation-related fields they may not be aware of or that may have seemed beyond their reach. Howard Lewis, 70, of Cherry Hill, one of the mentors and an aviation enthusiast since elementary school, said some of the students involved in building the aircraft had only dreamed of flight before joining the program. “Many of our kids had their first flights through the Young Eagles,” a program that introduces young people to flying, “because the mentors they’re working with while they’re building the airplane made sure they were available the day that they were giving flights,” Lewis, a lighting specialist, said.
The man the mentors call the father of the program is Ted Fox, a longtime Cherry Hill resident, whose lifelong love of flying led him to earn his pilot’s license at age 63. A year before he died in July 2023 at age 86, he became one of the mentors of the first students in Teen Aviation NJ. Retired pilot Joseph Zetkulic, 67, of Jobstown, and his wife Robin, friends of Fox and some other founders, created the organization under a child advocacy nonprofit they already ran, Joy to the Child, Incorporated.
Fox’s longtime friend and flight buddy Alan Mkitarian, 87, of Palmyra, continues to mentor the kids in his friend’s name. “I’m honored to be a part of it,” said Mkitarian, an avid builder of model planes. “I feel I need to be here for Ted, to see this thing finished. All this was his baby, and it’s matured and grown.”
Friends and problem solvers
The students come in at all different experience levels. Some have never worked with tools. Others are already mechanically inclined, but may not have worked as a team. “We work with them and grow that part of them where they’re not as strong, and it goes well beyond just building an airplane,” said Ethan Lydon, 46, of Lumberton, a field representative with Boeing. Retired from the Air Force, Lydon said he talks to the students about his life experiences. He challenges them to problem solve. “I have seen these kids grow and really learn the trade and craft,” said Lydon.
When students first join, they don’t get to work on the plane. Initially, they build a toolbox, as newcomer Divinity Harvey, 16, of Burlington, who one day hopes to be a pilot, was doing on a recent Saturday. That way, they learn about the materials, the tools, and how to follow instructions.
As the students construct their plane — a Vans Aircraft RV-12iS — their work is monitored by program technical advisor John Panchesine, 74, of Millville, a FAA-certified airframe and powerplant mechanic. “Their workmanship is excellent,” said Panchesine, a private pilot. “I’ve worked in aviation my whole life. You can’t allow complacency or poor workmanship to get into the air.”
The students learn that. But they’ve had their horizons broadened in other ways, too. “I wanted to be a pilot when I grew up,” said Michael Lester, 16, of Burlington. He still does, but like a lot of the other students, the Teen Aviation program now has him thinking about engineering as well.
And there is something else. He, like the other aviation students, have gotten to know students they probably never would have met otherwise, some from communities they’ve never been to. On Saturdays, they all have lunch together. They play pool. They’ve become friends, and not just in the hangar. The other week, Lester, who goes to Burlington Township High School, went to New York City and Asbury Park with homeschooler Brady Cowden.
Katie Baltz, 17, of Mays Landing, already was interested in engineering when she started at Teen Aviation. But wading into a group of strangers was a challenge for her, a shy kid. The program changed that. “Everyone didn’t know fully what to do, so everyone spoke up. Everyone spoke their mind,” said the Cedar Creek High School senior. “So then I started doing what they did, and I just became more open.
Katie and several of the students keep in touch outside of the program via text and phone. “We have a group chat. We hang out,” said Dishita Singh, 16, a student at Moorestown High School. Of the students, Singh is probably the furthest along in her aviation pursuits. Last December, three days after her sixteenth birthday, she flew her first solo flight. She’s become a squadron commander in her Civil Air Patrol squadron, and Teen Aviation has sparked her interest in possibly pursuing engineering in college. But what’s been especially valuable, she said, is what she has learned about people and the friendships she has made, despite their varying backgrounds. “I lived in a bubble for much of my life. I’ve been exposed to a lot of different people here,” said the Moorestown teenager. “It’s definitely worth the time because not all the learning you do is in school. People forget that. They feel like homework and grades are the only things. But there’s so much more you can learn.”
Brian Ahrens was recently recognized by his employer, Exelon Corporation for his volunteer work as one of our mentors. Watch his video thanking Exelon for their recognition of his service and for being a suporter of the Joy To The Child, Inc. DBA Teen Aviation of New Jersey.
Teen Aviation of New Jersey Photos of Our Program
October 5, 2024: Today's session was a bit different than usual. We started the build session with mentor Ethan Lydon taking our students for a short flight in his airplane. Ethan started the session by discussing the importance of preflight preparations and then made five flights taking the students up two or three at a time.
Afterwards, our students and mentors spent the rest of the session helping the airport staff organize supplies donated to the airport. The supplies will be flown or trucked to the Carolinas to provide relief to victims of Hurricane Helene.
Thank you to all who helped out with donations to the relief effort.
September 28, 2024: Reporter Rita Giordano and photographer Miguel Martinez from the Philadelphia Inquirer visited our build session today to interview our students and mentors and take pictures of our project. Our Technical Counselor, John Panchesine, also stopped by to check our progress to date. The article will appear in the October 6, 2024 Sunday edition if the Inquirer. Check the text box near the top of this page to read the text of article.
John (checkered shirt) looking over the aircraft and discussing the project with the photographer and us.
September 2024: Earlier build sessions this month.
Four new students joined the program this month. Their first project is to build their Van's Aircraft Toolbok kits.
July/August 2024: Continuing progress on the fuselage and wing kits.
April/June 2024: Finished riveting the side skins on the fuselage mid section and and started work on the upper structure. We took delivery of our Wing Subkit at the end of April and inventoried the kit during our first June session. We are now working on both the fuselage and wing kits concurrently.
April 20, 2024: We put in a lot of work on the fuselage over the past couple of weeks.
March through April 6, 2024: Back to work on the Fuselage. Finished today's session with the side skins clecoed in place. Next step is to drill the tops of the skins to the longerons.
March 2, 2024: Probably one of the most anticipated days of the build, after weeks of prep work, we got to work today on assembling the fuel tank. Gloves were necessary when applying sealant to the bulkheads and skin. Areas taped off with yellow tape will get sealed when we put the second skin in place to complete the tank.
February 2024: Did a lot of prep work on the Fuel Tank this month.
January 2024: Started off the new year working on the Fuselage Center Section and the Fuel Tank.
December 16, 2023: Last build session of 2023. We started the day at noon with a visit from our Technical Counselor, John Panchisine, before skinning the bottom of the Mid-Fuselage Seat Ribs and Lower Skins assembly. John looked over our work to date and gave us the thumbs up to put the lower skin in place. We worked on that until 4PM and then took the last hour of the session off to have a Pizza Party to celebrate a very successful year of building. Many thanks to all our students and mentors and also to all those who's generous support made the year possible! We'll take a break for the holidays and start up again on January 6th.
December 9, 2023: Working on the Mid-Fuselage Seat Ribs and Lower Skins assembly to get it ready for inspection by our Technical Counselor next week.
December 2, 2023: Mid Fuselage structure almost ready for the bottom skin. We have two build sessions left this year. Our goal is to have the Mid Fuselage Ribs & Bottom Skins section of the plans done by the end of the year.
November 18, 2023: Working on the seat floors today.
October 28, 2023: Great work on the center fuselage section today.
October 21, 2023: Finishing work on the Left and Right Seat Floor Assemblies and putting them in place for attachment to the Center Bulkhead Assembly.
October 14, 2023: Making good progress on the Seat Floor Assemblies.
October 7, 2023: Prepping parts to complete the cockpit seating area.
September 30, 2023: Further work on the seat ribs.
September 23. 2023: Working on the Mid Fuselage area, specifically the cockpit seat ribs.
September 16, 2023: Fall Fundraising Event held at Woodbine Municipal Airport
Photos courtesy of Ted Kingston Photography unless otherwise noted.
The event gave our students the opportunity to show off the work they have done over the past year. Among the items on display were the completed tailcone above and the fuselage center bulkhead on the right.
Great weather for an afternoon cookout....
and airplane rides.
Post flight ear to ear grin.
Thanks to EAA Chapters 216 and 1348 for providing the airplanes and pilots to fly two dozen Young Eagle flights today. This picture was shared with us by the young man's mom.
Thanks to Moe (wearing the black shirt) and Lynn (picture to the right) for making this day possible.
September 9, 2023: Two months into work on the Fuselage Kit and making good progress. The center section bulkhead assembly and the completed Tailcone/Empennage Kit will be on display at the fundraiser we are holding at Woodbine Municipal Airport next Saturday.
Working on the fuselage center section bulkhead assembly and baggage area floor.
Countersinking rivet holes.
August 19, 2023: Working on the Center section main bulkhead assembly and the rear baggage area.
August 5, 2023: Filing and sanding parts.
Studying the plans, searching the list of parts.
July 22, 2023: Countersinking holes on the center section bulkhead assembly.
July 15, 2023: Lots of filing and sanding parts, and squeezing and pulling rivets today.
July 8, 2023: Back to work on the center section bulkhead assembly after a break last week for the Independence Day holiday.
June 24, 2023: Continuing work on the center section bulkhead assembly.
June 17, 2023: Finishing up some final parts of the Empennage/Tailcone sub-kit and moving on to the Fuselage sub-kit.
Looking over the plans and the components to put together the trim motor assembly for the anti-servo trim tabs.
Getting to work on the assembly.
Starting construction of the center section bulkhead assembly.
Markout for the various types of rivets as per the plans.
June 10, 2023: Almost done with the Empennage/Tailcone sub-kit.
Riveting the tailcone aft bulkhead in place
Two of our older students worked with two of our mentors today to build another 4' by 8' work table on which they will assemble parts for the fuselage sub-kit.
June 3, 2023: Prepping parts for the Fuselage Center Bulkhead assembly.
May 20, 2023: Pitot/Static lines and Trim Servo wiring harness in place. Working on the upper side skins.
Riveting the top side skins on the Tailcone. Work started on the Fuselage Center Bulkhead assemnbly in the background
May 13, 2023: We spent most of today's build session doing inventory of the Fuselage Kit.
April 22. 2023: We started riveting the tailcone skins to the fuselage frames today. The tailcone should be done over the next several sessions. Our fuselage subkit is in crating now at Van's Aircraft, and we expect to have it delivered by July.
The assembly upside down on saw horses as the students rivet the two bottom skins together and to the fuselage frames.
The next step done, riveting the two lower side skins to the bottom skins.
The assembly off the saw horses and turned right side up.
April 15, 2023: Riveting the tailconne fuselage frames and preparing the skins.
April 1, 2023: Four new students joined the program over the past couple of months, so we recently ordered more Toolbox Practice Kits from Van's for them to build. The kits were delivered this past week, and took time this build sessions to work on them. We're also close to finishing construction on our Tailcone/Empenage sub kit. All of the empenage control surfaces are done, anfd we are now working on the tailcone fuselage frames and skins.
March 25, 2023: Milestone day for the students today. Finished construction of the horizontal stabilator, the largest and most complex assembly they have done to date, and moved on to preparing the tailcone skins.
March 11, 2023: Making progress on the tail control surfaces, almost done!
Riveting the main skins to the horizontal stabilator skeleton.
The almost finished product.
March 4, 2023: Placing the horizontal stabilator skins on the skeleton assembly.
Clecoing the skin to the skeleton assembly.
Skinned and ready for riveting.
February 25, 2023: More progross on the horizontal stabilator skeleton assembly.
February 11, 2023:
Finishing work of Van's Service Letter 00068 adding shims to the Horizontal Stabilator mounting brackets.
Riveting the skin on the Vertical Stabilizer.
The finished product.
February 4, 2023: Preparing the Horizontal Stabilator and Vertical Stabilier skins.
January 28, 2023: Continuing work on the horizontal stabilator and the vertical stabilizer.
Removing the two inboard hinge brackets to install the stabilator hinge spacer kit shims as per the recent Van's Aircraft Service Letter-00068.
Installing nutplates on the leading edge of the vertical stabilizer main skin.
The aft bracket for the stabilator counterbalance arm riveted in place.
January 14, 2023: Drilling the holes to secure the horizontal stabilator counterbalance arm to the mounting brackets and working on the skeleton of the vertical stabilizer.
January 7, 2023: Back to work on the airplane after the holiday break.
Riveting the skeleton of the vertical stabilizer.
Working on attaching the control horns to the horizontal stabilator spar assembly.
Hinge brackets alodined and ready for installation on the horizontal stabilator spar assembly.
December 17, 2022: We worked on the horizontal stabilator today, and then took a break early at the end of the session to celebrate the end of a very successful first year. We'll take the next two weekends off for the holidays and start back up again on January 7, 2023.
Hard at work prepping components of the horizontal stabilator.
Riveting the box structure for the horizontal stabilator spar assembly.
Thanks to our students and their families for a great first year.
December 10, 2022: Today, students continued work on the empennage of our first RV-12iS build, and also did some repair work on the horizontal stabilitor of our RV-12ULS airframe.
Deburring holes and sanding edges of the horizontal stabilator front spar.
Match drilling the rudder hinge assemblies for the vertical stabilizer rear spar.
One of our students does some repair work on the already complete RV-12ULS horizontal stabiltor.
October 29, 2022: More work today on the rudder and the stabilator trim tabs, and some time checking out the original Davis DA-2. This aircraft was actually built by the designer, Leeon D. Davis, and is owned by one of our mentors. Looking over the V-tailed aircraft gave us a good opportunity to talk about aerodynamics and different types of control surface configurations.
October 22, 2022: Working on the skins for the stabilator trim tabs and the rudder.
Octoner 15, 2022: Finishing work on the vertical stabilizer for now.
Next step will be priming the parts in preparation fpr assembly.
Moving on to the rudder.
October 8, 2022: Continuing work on the vertical stabilizer.
Guest speaker for the day, John Panchesine, discusses his role as our Technical Advisor with our students.
October 1, 2022: Working on the Vertical Stabilizer
September 24, 2022: Work began today on aircraft build number 1, an RV-12iS, starting with the Vertical Stabilizer.
Rounding the forward edges of the rib flanges.
Fluting the ribs.
Filing and sanding the edges of the rib flanges.
September 10, 2022: The Empennage/Tailcone kit for our first RV-12iS arrived earlier this week. Most of today's build session was spent uncrating the parts and taking inventory of the kit.
One last check of the paperwork. All parts listed on the packing slip were accounted for. Just a couple of items on backorder.
With time left in the building session, it was back to finishing the Van's Toolbox Kits.
August 27, 2022: Fantastic build session today! Our students finished up their Van's Metalworking projects and moved on to their Van's Toolbox projects. Enthusiasm was high as they opened their kits, inventoried the parts, and read through the instructions.
After that, hard at work putting the projects together. Match drilling holes, dimpling, and squeezing rivets. When they are done, each student will have their own toolbox to store their personal equipment in between sessions. We have a great group of kids. Good work today!
July 23, 2022: More work on the metal working practice kits. We will take a break next week for AirVenture, then pick up again on August 6th. Next project, Van's Toolbox Kit.
July 16, 2022: Second student build session. Learning sheet metal basics.
Center punching a row of hole locations,
drilling the holes,
and deburring.
July 9, 2022: First student build session. Instructor Ethan started the day with a safety briefing and then went into the correct ways to use various tools, such as drilling holes, countersinking, and the different ways to set rivets when building an airplane.
From there, the students went on to their first practice project, Van's Aircraft Metalworking kit. Here, our students are learning how to read a set of drawings and properly lay out measurements on the working material before starting work on their practice kits.
UPDATE!!!
Many thanks to those who made our Grand Opening a great success!
And a special thanks to our students and their families for stopping by and sharing the day with us. We hope you enjoyed the day and we look forward to starting student build sessions on July 9th.
Please join us for the Grand Opening of our hangar on June 25, 2022 from noon to 7PM.
Several experimental and production aircraft as well as our first build project, a partially completed RV-12, will be on display. Our desktop flight simulator with Red Bird controls running X-Plane 10 will be set up for anyone who would like to take it for a turn around the pattern. We will also have an aerial photography exhibet, music, and food and refreshments available for your enjoyment and entertainment.
Student build sessions are scheduled to start on July 9, 2022.
June 25, 2022: Setting up the hangar for the grand opening later today.
Our RV-12 ULS airframe. The majority of this aircraft is constructed of aluminum. The engine cowling, tail cone, and fairings are preformed fiberglass. The canopy skirt is laid up fiberglass.
A Rutan Long-EZ being built by one of our mentors highlights a different type of aircraft construction. This aircraft is mainly laid up fiberglass construction. Both aircraft were on display in our hangar.
Three aircraft, a Stearman biplane leading a North American SNJ and a CAP 10, in the break over over Flying W Airport arrive for our Grand Opening event.
Vintage North American SNJ clearing the runway and heading to the static display area.
Modern day Van's Aircraft RV-12 ULS clearing the runway and heading to the static display area.
Aircraft on display on the ramp outside our hangar. The yellow aircraft with the checkered rudder in the front left of the picture is a Van's RV-12 owned by our Technical Advisor. The white CAP 10 and the gray SNJ that arrived with the Stearman biplane are behind the RV-12.
The desktop flight simulator was big hit. Students took turns flying a Cessna 172 around the Flying W pattern.
Checking out the cockpit of a North American SNJ, the navy version of the AT-6 Texan.
Sitting in the pilot's seat.
You can't have a hangar party without some hangar flying.
Students and their families checking out the aircraft in the hangar.
June 15, 2022: Added trim around the new entry door and resurfaced the outside of the hangar sliding doors.
June 9, 2022: Adding a new entry door and resurfacing the insides of the sliding hangar doors. Door on the left before resurfacing. Door on the right with the new entry door in place and resurfaced with fiberglass reinforced plastic.
This picture to the right from February 3, 2022 shows what the sliding doors looked like before the new entry door was put in place and the interior surfaces of the doors were resurfaced. You can also see the condition of the hangar floor before the old layer of epoxy paint was removed.
June 2, 2022: Our partially completed RV-12 ULS airframe was moved into the hangar today in preparation for our grand opening on June 25th.
After: May 28, 2022. The hangar floor and walls have been painted and the new ceiling installed. All thanks to our enthusiastic volunteers and generous support from local businesses. We will move our equipment and aircraft kits into the hangar over the next couple of weeks in preparation for our grand opening at the end of June and starting student build classes on July 9th.
Before: December 18, 2021. The hangar as it looked before we moved in on January 1st and started making improvements.
May 7 to 9, 2022: We used a floor grinder to strip the old epoxy off the hangar floor and smooth the concrete surface on Saturday, May 7th. Then, we put down a new coat of epoxy paint on Monday, May 9th.
The finished product. All the prep work was well worth it. The newly painted floor looks great!
Many thanks to the Burlington Home Depot for donating the exopy floor paint that made this project possible.
April 4, 2022: Our new entry door and freshly painted exterior wall on the airfield side of our hangar.
March 12, 2022:
Parts inventory of the Legacy RV-12ULS.
March 12, 2022: Wings Banner hanging on the back wall. Entry doors painted.
February 26, 2022: We finished painting the hangar walls today. The new door on the back wall was installed yesterday and will get a final coat of paint this coming week.
February 5, 2022: Work continued on the hangar today. Ted Fox, John Ahrens, Brian Ahrens, and Bill Breuer (not pictured) applied a fresh coat of paint to the walls. Scott Weick painted the frame for the new steel entry door that will go in the rear concrete block wall. Thanks to Scott for donating the paint and painting supplies as well as the new steel entry door.
February 3, 2022: Cleanup of our hangar at Flying W Airport continues. The floor was scrubbed and cleaned today. Overall, the floor came out pretty good, but some areas will have to be sanded and repainted with epoxy floor paint. The front and rear entry doors will be replaced next and the walls will get a new coat of paint soon.
January 18, 2022: Teen Aviation of New Jersey would like to thank the Chamber of Commerce Southern New Jersey for their generous donation of three tables to our Aircraft Build Program. The tables are 3 feet by 6 feet and will serve us well as both classroom and work tables.
October 20, 2021: The partially completed airftrame we bought from the Teen Aircraft Factory of Manasota arrives at Flying W Airport. Program Mentor Al Nugent kindly covered the expense of renting the truck and paying for the gas to get the kit from Sarasota to Flying W. Al and Program Manager Joe Zetkulic made the trip down to Sarasota on the 18th to rent the truck and pick up the kit. It is currently stored in Program Mentor Don Powell's hangar while we clean up and make improvements on the program's hangar.