In 2008, the Schools Build-a-Plane Challenge (SBAP) was launched by the Royal Aeronautical Society (RAeS), supported by Boeing and with assistance from the Light Aircraft Association (LAA), with the aim of providing an ambitious and innovative programme to enable six secondary schools the opportunity to build a real light aircraft from kit to Permit to Fly status, offering the chance to fly in their completed aircraft as well as showcase their achievements to the general public through exhibiting at air shows and other public events and inspire others into STEM and aviation.
As our programme draws to a close, we have set out to evaluate how the SBAP Challenge met the objectives set at the outset, how effectively the programme was run, the impact it has made on the pupils and the wider community and lessons learnt which can be applied to future programmes.