Students at Fuqua School are taking flight with an inaugural Aviation 101 and Airplane Construction class through a partnership between Fuqua and the local Chapter 1202 of the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA).

“We started talking about it close to a year ago with the chapter members,” said Chapter President Morgan Dunnavant.

After much discussion, the chapter began to search for a school to offer the program and settled on Fuqua, he said.

Dunnavant said the vision of the class is to assist in reinforcing STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) course curriculum at Fuqua.

The school was receptive to the new idea, and both entities decided to pursue the plan, Dunnavant said.

“The new aviation elective is unique — it includes classroom work, an online aviation class offered by Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and the opportunity to build things that fly from gliders to an airplane,” Linda Davis, Fuqua’s director of communications, said.

According to the school the class is taught in two parts. On Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays students participate in an online portion of the course through Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Aviation. The course, Aviation 101, covers the basics of aviation. The second part focuses on a hands-on portion, including the construction of a Zenith 750 single-engine, two-place airplane.

This part of the class occurs on Tuesdays and Wednesdays under the supervision of volunteers from the local chapter of the EAA, according to the school.

Dunnavant said the aircraft is being built to quality air standards.

The final component of the course will consist of a weeklong aviation camp at Fuqua School this summer.

Dunnavant said the Zenith 750 — a simple aircraft design — was selected for the students to build.

According to its website, Zenith is a member and supporter of the EAA, the Small Aircraft Manufacturers Association (SAMA) and the Light Aircraft Manufacturers Association (LAMA).

After construction of the plane is complete, it will be sold and proceeds will go into a fund to provide a new airplane construction kit for Fuqua students, Dunnavant said.

A course outline indicated that enrollment is limited to six students in each of the two blocks. Students are also required to attend at least three Saturday builds, and the estimated time frame of completion is about three years for the airplane.

The project is funded strictly by donations, Dunnavant said. However, the local EAA chapter initially invested about $2,500 to fund the project and some individual members matched that, he said.

“We are extremely grateful for our partnership,” Davis said. “The chapter is providing financial support, but more importantly, they are knowledgeable mentors to our students.”

The initiative is seeking tax-deductible donations to Fuqua School or Chapter 1202 of the EAA. For more information on the program or to make a donation, contact Fuqua School at (434) 392-4131.