East of Scotland Strut

of the
Popular Flying Association

Build a Plane Project
by Cpl Nicola Yule
297 Musselburgh Squadron, ATC.

In May and June 2003, Air Cadets all over Great Britain were invited by Captain Stewart Luck, Education Officer of the Popular Flying Association, to take part in a project to build, and eventually fly, a RANS S6 Coyote - to celebrate the centenary of the first powered flight by the Wright Brothers.

297 (Musselburgh) Sqn, Air Training Corps, was one of the few Squadrons chosen to build a part of the aircraft.

We built the aircraft’s starboard wing - under the supervision of Tim Rayner, the East of Scotland PFA Strut’s inspector. He helped by teaching Cadets new skills, such as; riveting, drilling, following plans, cutting and shaping different parts to fit the structure of the wing - and many other skills. Building took place at the Museum of Flight, East Fortune in East Lothian.

Cadets and NCO’s who took part in the building of the wing over the weeks soon expanded their talents, by working with tools and equipment needed to piece together each part of the wing. It was evident that a lot of hard work was put in by every cadet and NCO. While it was hard work, there was always a good atmosphere, with everyone laughing and joking.

Meanwhile, across Great Britain, other Squadrons were assembling different parts of the aircraft, and therefore, we were all working as one team to achieve the same goal of constructing and then flying the Coyote.

On the day we completed the wing, our work was inspected by the Duke of Hamilton; who lives nearby and is a retired RAF officer. As a reward, he gave each of the cadets present a flight in his Scottish Aviation Bulldog. That was a very special signature to have in their 3822s!

During the progress of our project, photographs and a series of helpful notes were taken to display in our Squadron, so visitors can look at and read about an example of our Squadron activities.

Once the completed plane passes its inspection, Air Cadets will be given the chance to admire their work and will be allowed to fly the aircraft, and to enjoy the new experiences and thrills of flying!

Helping to build the Coyote was a fantastic learning opportunity for the Cadets of every participating Squadron.