High-flying pupils will take to the skies in plane they build

Kinross High pupils could soon take to the skies in their own hand-built plane as part of a £60,000 project.

Pupils have taken delivery of a life-size Eurofox kit plane, in a scheme organised by the team behind ambitious plans for a £10 million space centre on the edge of town.

The aircraft will be kept at the school for the next eight months, while youngsters learn about all aspects of flight.

They hope to have the plane assembled by next summer, when the plan is to get behind the controls and take flight.

The pupils are working on the project with Aero Space Scientific Educational Trust (Asset).

Chairman Alisdair Stewart said: “This forms a first and significant element of our overall strategy to create the Aero Space Kinross science and space centre in the area.

“We see the educational link as a vitally important one and encourage young people in the area to study with a Stem (science, technology, engineering and maths) career in mind.”

Head teacher Sarah Brown added: “Encouraging an interest in Stem is vital to the educational success of our young people and there can be no better way than applying theory to practice by building a plane in our school grounds.”

Air Service Training Ltd, Perth College and the University of the Highlands and Islands will be involved in providing pupils with workshops, health and safety briefing, a hangar visit and aeronautics theory.

The initiative has been paid for with Perth and Kinross Leader cash and Asset crowdfunding.

Mr Stewart also heads Aero Space Kinross, which aims to create a space and flight-centre, capable of drawing 60,000 visitors each year.

Picture: Steven Brown. Alisdair Stewart, chairman of Aero Space Kinross, with head teacher Sarah Brown, principal science teacher Mark McShane and Kinross High School pupils.