KILL DEVIL HILLS, N.C. — A historic moment at First Flight Airport on Tuesday as First Flight High School students saw the plane they've spent two and a half years building take flight.
"I'm just kind of speechless right now," said Jorge Flores, after being up in the air inside the plane. Flores is a senior at FFHS and one of the many students who helped build the plane.
"Oh, my gosh, it's history," said Alexander Sharp, a senior at FFHS who helped build the plane.
Plenty of planes come and go at First Flight Airport every day, but Tuesday was special. The plane that FFHS students spent two and a half years building is the first to be constructed on the grounds of the Wright Brothers National Memorial since the Wright brothers themselves, and on Tuesday it took its first flight.
"To get this far from where we started, just a bunch of boxes, to be able to fly and just experience the plane, it's just been incredible," said Flores.
Around 40 students, along with a number of mentors, spent the last two and a half years working to get to this day.
"Everybody kind of gravitated to something they were good with. And we've been able to exercise that and let them do it for a pretty hard sprint for two and a half years. To see how they've all grown and all worked so hard and contributed so much to get this aircraft flying, is just amazing," said Joey Tynch, First Flight High School's aviation program leader.
A moment that the entire Outer Banks community can be proud of.
"At the end of the day, it's not even about the finished product, it's, you know, about all the people and just all that this means to the community. I just can't be thankful enough to Admiral (Tynch), to the community, to the mentors who volunteered to come help students, that's just crazy to me. But I'm just so thankful to them that they were able to make this a reality for me and for everyone else," said Flores.
Just like the Wright brothers did, a new legacy right here 123 years later.
"I'm really proud to be part of this team. To be part of this feels like one of the biggest things in my life," said Flores.
Tynch also took the time to highlight the FFHS aviation program itself, which has seen 22 graduates who are already well on their way in the world.
"We've had 22 graduates so far. What I would like to hit on that is: five of those 22 are currently in pilot training or have qualified as pilots and flight instructors. We have four in four year colleges. High end welders have come through the program, two in the military, one in College of The Albemarle's just fantastic aviation maintenance program to get his A&P license, with a second one on the way. We've had really good success on the backside of the program, that's what we're really looking for," said Tynch.
The plane is a two-seater, side-by-side, low-wing RV-12iS.
