Mercury Bay Student Aircraft Trust’s RV-12 | Whitianga, New Zealand RV-12iS #121251

Congratulations to all of the hardworking students on the completion and first flight of their RV-12iS. We are eager for the next one. They report:

After a couple of speeches and a ribbon-cutting ceremony in front of a good crowd of supporters, Head Mentor for the MBSAT team – Tony Turner – headed out to the runway in ZK-LCH (RV-12iS S/N: 121251) and successfully completed its first flight. Weather permitting the required 10 hours of test flying will be completed before Christmas and the aircraft will be handed over to its new owners, Leigh and Linda Hopper. While Leigh has held both fixed wing and helicopter licenses for most of his life, Linda is looking forward to getting her license in the aircraft over the coming months.

This is the 5th RV-12 completed by our high school students at Mercury Bay Area School. To help celebrate this fabulous achievement, the previous 4 aircraft were flown in for a photo-shoot. Students from previous projects were present along with students and parents of the current build. We are also very proud to announce that we have another kit – aircraft #6 – on the water from Oregon and scheduled to arrive in JAN 2024, so another two years of construction is ahead of us!

A huge thank-you to the Trustees and Mentors as well as those who stand behind the project and help in so many ways. Without this support, we would struggle to continue the vision started by Jim Evans 12 years ago to induce youth to aviation in the hope for a stronger future.