Meet the plane builders

A group of more than 18 high school students in Tehachapi are putting their skills to the test and learning to build a plane.  The program, which is made up of students from Tehachapi High School, Valley Oaks Charter School, and mentors from the Tehachapi Pilots Society are working toward building a 750 Cruzer.  “Oh my goodness, this is going to take a long time, but I’m down for this, this is cool,” said Patrick Seymour, one of the participating students.  The students gather every Monday and Wednesday for two hours at the Tehachapi Municipal Airport where they work on an aircraft, they'll eventually get the opportunity to fly in.  “You start with parts, they all come together perfectly, and it turns into something bigger, I like that,” said Seymour.  The mentors, however, stressed that they're not simply working toward building the plane, but rather teaching student skills they can take with them throughout their lives.  “It’s very important for them to experience the things their going to need in life, so these are really life skills being taught," said Paul Nafziger, the program manager.