Number two is the service learning aspect. “Number one is obviously the hands-on STEM learning they experience as they work on the plane. “We think the benefits of the program are twofold for the students,” said Wings of Hope President and CEO Bret Heinrich. The Cessna will be used by Wings of Hope’s partner, Adventist World Aviation, to provide emergency medical air transport to people living in remote communities in Nicaragua.

Wings of Hope has been involved in worldwide humanitarian missions since sending its first plane to Kenya in 1965, assisting a nun in providing medical care to their famine-stricken people. Wings Of Hope Flies Humanitarian Missions Not long after the unveiling ceremony, the student-built Cessna took off for Nicaragua on its first mission. Jones Wings of Hope President Brett Heinrich and Experience Aviation Operation Build & Soar founder Captain Barrington Irving. Also on the program were Lancaster ISD School Board President Ty G. Johnson also emceed the program following the unveiling ceremony. The student-built plane will be used by Wings of Hope, a nonprofit helping those in need all over the world. Josh Hoffman, owner and lead engineer of Cross Country Aviation, was the students’ instructor during the project.

The 39 engineering students, grades 6-11, built an airplane. A group of Lancaster ISD students recently completed an unusually challenging STEM project.