Jemicy Bushcat Plane Project

Imagine flying in a plane that high school students built from scratch. For some in the Jemicy community, this could be a reality. Some of the Upper School students from Jemicy have teamed up with local aviators named Claudius and Jeff to build a two-seater plane. The model being built is called a “SkyReach BushCat.” This is a great beginner plane project. “Developed in South Africa the plane is supplied as a kit for amateur construction or as a complete aircraft”. Jemicy has acquired the kit version of the plane which is much more cost-friendly. The model design has been made to be cost-effective, user-friendly, and reliable, perfect for a first build. 

The project originally started at Jemicy during the beginning of the 2021-2022 school year. Jack Dodson, one of the students working on the project explained: “Essentially early in the year Ms. Dimuchi approached some of us and explained that they had gotten a deal with a local hobbyist airport that some Jemicy graduates were in and asked if we wanted to build a plane. Jack was very excited to join and did not hesitate when he got the chance. “Most of us are second and third-year KSR students.” KSR stands for Kinetic Sculpture Race and the class essentially prepares a vehicle for the race in the KSR class. “We are supposed to know how mechanics work on KSR builds and stuff like that so we went there and they talked about what we were doing which was called a bushcat plane. Which is a two-seater mid-sized plane. We’ve been split up into two groups to keep numbers down. I’m part of the first group which meets on Saturdays from 10-1. We just work, follow instructions, and have a whole lot of fun”. There is a second group of students that meet on Sundays to keep the project as efficient as possible. Since the beginning of the year, the two groups have made considerable progress on the plane. As of now (March) the plane is about halfway finished. Dodson explained  “So the main part of the body of the plane is pretty much done. Right now we are working on the wings of the plane doing a lot of wiring making sure the rudders work and making sure the wings aren’t going to fall off of the plane”. 

Once the two teams finish building everything they need for the plane Jemicy hopes to display the aircraft at an air show. Matt Sachs, one of the members of the same group as Jack remarked: “So eventually we’re taking this out to Oshkosh in Wisconsin which is the largest air show in the United States for people and hobbyists, and basically anyone with a plane shows up. Around 650,000 people showed up last year with jet planes and military planes. Eventually, we’re going to fly in and show off what we did”. This year Oshkosh takes place from July 25th-July 31st. Fortunately, this year COVID will not play as much of a role as last year and the airshow will be allowed to commence with few restrictions. When it is all said and done both interviewees said that they will remember this project for the rest of their lives and how much fun they were able to have while building the plane. This project is one of the most unique opportunities that students have been able to be a part of in Jemicy history.