After three years of hard work, Benenden Sixth Form students past and present were able to see their completed microlight aircraft take pride of place at the Headcorn Aerodrome.
Having spent so much time working on the construction of the aircraft – delayed by countless Covid restrictions – the young engineers, who worked on the joint project with partner school The John Wallis Church of England Academy, were proud to see their finished plane displayed among a whole host of other aircraft.
The sixth formers – who were joined by three Benenden seniors who had worked on the aircraft earlier in its development – were delighted to be able to sit in the plane, and to see their names inscribed on its control panel.

Reflecting on the lessons learned throughout the project, Six One (Year 12) student Natalie said: “I’ve learnt about how a plane works – the most fundamental thing – but also about the importance of teamwork (even though that sounds really cliched). “The biggest challenge initially was in being able to understand how the plane works, it’s really hard to be precise and to get every detail right. Obviously, that’s really important because it’s a plane and you don’t want anything to go wrong!”
Her teammate, Six One student Rosie, added: “I really enjoyed seeing how the plane is put together, because we don’t often get the chance to see things before they’re finished and ...