The EAA Chapter 20 Youth Aircraft Build Program (2016–2025) has now concluded. Our first RV-12 was completed in 2020. Our second RV-12, built from 2021 to 2025, has moved beyond the youth involvement stage and is now in final assembly under mentor leadership. While the Youth Build Program is closed, there is a possibility of a new build program in the future. Any future program would be a different project and not a continuation of this aircraft.
About The Program
The EAA Chapter 20 Youth Aircraft Build Program was a youth initiative supported by Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) Chapter 20, based out of San Carlos Airport. Its aim was to create a more inclusive future for aviation by making aviation more accessible for everyone. Students teamed up with experienced mentors, pilots, and aircraft technicians to take part in a hands-on STEM program that allowed them to acquire the technical knowledge to build, maintain, and fly an aircraft. The skills students developed in the program reached beyond the realm of aviation and can continue to benefit them throughout their lives. Participants in the program learned about engineering, problem solving, critical thinking, safety standards, project management, collaboration, design, and more.
The program ran from 2016 through 2025. During that time, students and mentors successfully completed one aircraft, a Van’s RV-12 that took flight in September 2020. Work on a second RV-12 began in 2021 and reached major milestones with youth involvement before the program concluded. That aircraft has now moved into the final assembly stage under mentor leadership. While the Youth Aircraft Build Program has ended, there is the possibility that a new youth build may be launched in the future as a separate project.
