Pryor Students Continue Making Airplane After Manufacturer Bankruptcy Snag

Students in Pryor who are building an airplane are back on track after the company they were getting their parts from went bankrupt.

Almost two years into the program, the plane is starting to take shape. There's still a lot of work to do, but the students are more motivated than ever to get it in the air.

Right now, the plane is resting on chairs inside the Mid America Expo Center, but by this time next year, students hope people will be able to sit inside, ready for takeoff.

There are thousands of parts to keep track of, and students were missing some crucial ones when Van's Aircraft went bankrupt.

"They have worked so hard,” Dr. Jenny Peters said.

Peters is Pryor High School's STEM Instructor and one of several teachers in the district's aviation program. 

"It did feel a lot like, 'Well, what are we gonna do with all this?' And I was like, 'We might have to take it all apart and send it all back.' And of course, that was, you know, that was just not something that we were, we didn't want to do that,” she said.

After customers approved a price hike, Peters said the shipments for parts went out right away. Just a few weeks ago, the engine arrived, along with the propeller for the RV-12iS, allowing students like Colby Cooper to finish what they started in the fall of 2022.

"Now we're all basically friends. And us and the instructors get along really well. And it's fun knowing that we're all pushing toward the same goal,” Cooper said.

The junior said he already has a job lined up at the Claremore Regional Airport as a mechanic after he graduates.

"I love it out there. Everyone out there loves their job,” he said.

Mentors like Doug Robertson, who taught science at Pryor Public Schools and Rogers State University, don't need an aviation background to help. He anticipates more mentors will be needed in the next school year as interest in the aviation program soars.

"When I first went to the mentors meeting, and they ask what did you do, all these people are saying well, 'I'm a pilot,' or, 'I'm a mechanic' or something, I said, 'uh, I can find my seat on an airplane,' but that's as close as I got,” Robertson said.

Now, they are all working together to get the plane ready for its airworthiness inspection at the end of the year before it takes to the skies next spring.

"That's the day I'm looking forward to,” Peters said.

For more information about Van’s Aircraft and the price increase, click here.