Benenden Microlight Preparing for Take-off!

After three years of work – slowed considerably by Covid delays – a combined team from Benenden School and The John Wallis Church of England Academy have completed construction on a Skyranger Nynja microlight aircraft.

Microlight aircraft are a lighter version of a normal general aviation aircraft with a limited take-off weight. The build is part of the British Microlight Aircraft Association New Horizons project, where schools sign up to build an aircraft to gain knowledge and understanding of aviation and engineering as well as experience taking part in a complex project.

The photo shows the microlight, G-WDUS (short for Well Done Us – an oft-said catchphrase of one of the microlight staff members, Angus Buchanan, who sadly passed away during the project) in its complete, but disassembled form, being transported to Headcorn aerodrome ready for the final phases of inspection and testing before flight.
 
Though most similar projects are sold before being flown by the students, the Benenden microlight team are great believers in testing and experiencing what you have built! As such, the aircraft will be inspected by the CAA, before they all get a chance to fly and take the controls.

This is the second microlight that the school has built, with the first being highlighted in The Week Awards as the most Exciting School Project. G-GRLS is still happily being used to train new pilots to fly in the Cotswolds.