Now departing! After three years of work, the second airplane built by students at the Manchester School of Technology left the workshop on Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026 for final assembly at a hangar at Manchester-Boston Regional Airport. This resulted in a few turned heads as the plane made its way down South Willow Street on a flatbed tow truck.
Once complete, the aircraft, a two-seat Van’s RV-12iS recreational plane, will undergo FAA inspection followed by a “fly-off” procedure supervised by an approved test pilot. We’ll then hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony (details TBA) and invite the public to see the completed airplane take flight!
Thanks to the students and volunteer mentors who made today’s move possible. The plane-building program is a partnership of the Manchester School of Technology, the Aviation Museum of N.H., and non-profit Tango Flight, which facilitates student plane-building projects around the country.
Plane #2 will be sold, with the proceeds to be used to fund the costs of Plane #3, which MST students are already beginning to assemble. Thanks also to our friends from #WMUR-TV Channel 9 in Manchester and also the New Hampshire Union Leader: watch tonight’s news and see tomorrow’s paper for coverage of the move.
Here’s a link to the coverage on WMUR-TV.
And here’s what the front page looked like of the Union Leader of Jan. 14, 2026:
To learn more about our student plane-building program, now active in three N.H. high schools, visit our student plane-building home page.
Photos by Norm Beaudette
Below are images on moving day captured by Norm Beaudette, an Aviation Museum volunteer:
Photos by Steve Heffelfinger
Here are photos captured by Aviation Museum volunteer Steve Heffelfinger.
Additional photos
A few more photos from the aircraft’s arrival at Manchester-Boston Regional Airport.
