EAA Chapter 27 RV-12 ‘Give Flight’ Project Flown to AirVenture ’22

Before AirVenture Oshkosh 2015, five EAA chapters were selected to receive wings for project “Give Flight,” to be built by volunteers and attendees. Following AirVenture, the wings were shipped to each chapter, where local fundraising efforts provided enough money to buy the rest of the kits.

Chapter 461 in Bolingbrook, Illinois, built a Zenith CH 750 Cruzer. Chapter 245 in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, also built a Zenith CH 750 Cruzer. Chapter 84 in Snohomish, Washington, built a Zenith CH 650. Chapter 27 in Meriden, Connecticut, built an RV-12, and Chapter 555 in Las Cruces, New Mexico, built a Sonex Waiex.

The RV-12 was built by the students from H.C. Wilcox Technical High School and was finished in December 2018. Chapter 27 President Mark Scott told AirVenture Today that then the chapter ran into a “certification nightmare” that resulted in a one-year delay. Following resolution of the issue, the first flight of N935WT was May 14, 2020.

A Meriden flying club was formed following the build completion, with 10 equity members. Since EAA chapters cannot own flying aircraft, a flying club is a common solution once a chapter completes a project.

Club members (and mother/daughter) Laurie and Arianna Strand flew the RV-12 11 hours to AirVenture 2022 to complete the “Give Flight” objective of completing the aircraft and flying it to Oshkosh.

The RV-12 has a Rotax 912 ULS 100-hp engine and cruises at 110 knots. Built with pulled rivets, the RV-12 has a reputation for being a straightforward kit, important especially for youth projects.

For other chapters considering a build project, Scott said, “Kids not only learn to build the airplane,” but also learn other life skills such as reading plans, time management, thinking ahead, and “things that will help them in their future job.”