It's funny how you can travel the world
looking for stories on ultralight aviation and totally miss something
that is happening in your own backyard! That was the case with a story
about a group of Sutton High School students building a Murphy Maverick
in a course set up by the school to do just that.
Here I am walking around Oshkosh looking
for stories when I glance over to the Flightstar booth and see an Murphy
Maverick - which is not something that you should see - one manufacturer
displaying another's product. But closer examination revealed that the
plane was equipped with an HKS engine - which the owner of Flightstar
distributes.
Then there is a sign on the plane that
indicates that it was built by "Sutton District High School" -
which is 20 minutes up the road from my home base! My first reaction was
that it couldn't be the same school. Wrong!
I managed to track down a gentleman by
the name of Shawn White, who is the
 teacher
running the program at Sutton High. Apparently the principal of the
school came to Shawn asking him what it would take to "build an
aeroplane" the answer "just money and we can do it."
According to Shaw the reason for the
choice of the Maverick was because of its "modern design,
construction and materials" - thus if a student were looking for
work in the industry he or she would benefit from the principles used in
the construction of the Maverick. The plane also appealed to Shawn
personally as a private pilot!
The kit for the project was identical to
that delivered to any other customer, except that not one person but a
group of 53 students built the plane, in two groups. One group of 12
senior students working "realistically 50
minutes per day," in a 5 day work week, built the
"entire airframe, firewall back in one year."
In order to build the plane a "tool
package was purchased from Murphy" and "a whole bunch of extra
clecko's" "the entire tool package to run the program only
cost us about $2,000." When asked about the estimated time it took
to build the plane Shawn indicated "the average person could
honestly build this plane in 1,000 hours."
As the "test pilot, fairy pilot,
and demo pilot" Shawn had the privilege of flying the plane to the
show, for delivery to Murphy Aircraft. According the Shawn "the
HKS,4 stroke engine, installation package was designed by the students,
and will be used by Murphy on Mavericks using the HKS engine."
As I write this Shawn is awaiting
delivery of the next kit from Murphy - which his students will be
starting construction of this fall.
For more information read the following courtesy of Murphy Air's
website.
Ontario High School Establishes Aerospace
Manufacturing Program
 In
an effort to give students insight into the world of engineering and
manufacturing in the context of post-secondary career and educational
opportunities, an Ontario high school has developed an aerospace
manufacturing course around the construction of the Murphy Maverick. The
three credit program at Sutton District High School, entitled Aerospace
manufacturing /Physics of Flight provides an exciting opportunity to study
an integrated technology and science program while assembling the two
seater Maverick from a kit.
As students assemble the
aircraft components, they also study the physical science of flight.
The program includes the application of manufacturing techniques such as
measuring, jigging, squaring and truing of major structures, system design
and installation, quality control and even time management.
The manufacturing experience gained by students in this course will be
valuable tools for those who decide to pursue aviation as a career.
As part of an overall effort to
provide their students with the best preparation possible for
post-secondary education and careers in technology, Sutton District High
School has been establishing links with a number of local colleges
offering aviation programs ranging from Avionics and Maintenance to Multi
I.F.R. flight training. As part of development of the aerospace
program, the school has also formed a partnership with Murphy Aircraft
Mfg. Ltd. from which they purchased the Maverick kit.
 In
answer to why the selection of the Maverick, Sean White, one of the
architects of the new program comments: "Murphy Aircraft are of good
design and high quality. These are attributes that the program
requires in order to grow. From the start, I have found the
Maverick to have outstanding performance for its cost. The fact that
the construction was modern riveted aluminum rather than plywood ribs and
tubular spars, was a big selling point with me." Mr. White, whose 14
years of experience in the aviation industry included time as a
maintenance controller and QA inspector on Boeing 737's and Airbus A320's
is one of the key individuals involved in development of this program.
The short term plan for the
program is to acquire another Maverick kit for assembly in next years
classes. Upwards of a 200% increase in the number of student
applicants for the program is expected. The long term goal is to start a
flight training program offering ground school and ultralight pilot
licenses to the students as well as light aircraft maintenance.
If you are interested in
developing a training course or program using the Murphy Maverick or other
Murphy Products, please contact Mr. Dave Walker, Marketing Manager, Murphy
Aircraft Mfg. Ltd. Phone (604) 792-5855, (604) 792-7006 or
e-mail at: murales@murphyair.com
.
For more information about
the Aerospace Manufacturing/Physics of Flight program at Sutton District
High School, contact Mr. Sean White, Sutton District High School, Sutton
West, Ontario at: debsean@ils.net
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