Ron Korn, president of the Aerospace Club (ACES), was avidly involved in the construction of the Zodiac 601XL. The aircraft took its first flight on August 11th, Korn’s birthday.

The Aerospace Club is currently unsure of what the aircraft will be used for. As it was an experimental aircraft built by amateurs, there are specific laws that determine which circumstances the aircraft can be used in.

The ACES Workshop is currently in the middle of the restoration of a 1945 Taylorcraft BC12D. This aircraft will most likely be used as a backcountry or grass landing strip trainer.

The Taylorcraft was a bush plane donated to the ACES Workshop by a Horizon Airline pilot who used it in Alaska. After moving to Idaho, the Taylorcraft’s motor seized on account of an oil leak while warming up the engine. The plane was then donated for restoration, and an engine was supplied by a charitable man from Nebraska.

“We are hoping to finish preparing the airframe and control surfaces so they can be printed before it gets too cold,” Korn said.

Korn first joined Aerospace Club as a way to satisfy his interest in mechanics, and through the club was able to rediscover his love for aviation. He has been a member of the club since his freshman year, and is currently president.

“The ability to look at something and see how it is put together is a valuable skill that I continue to refine with my participation in the club,” Korn said.

The North Idaho High School Aerospace Program, Aerospace Club, at Sandpoint High School was one formed in 2014, and centers around mechanics and the restoration of aircraft.

The club initially began with an aviation class, led by Ken Larson, at Forest Bird Charter School. When Larson was donated a kit plane project, the club relocated to the high school to begin building the plane. Because of its rapid expansion the ACES Workshop, a branch of the North Idaho Space Program, now meets at the Sandpoint Airport on Saturdays.

The club is funded primarily through donations made by community members, as well as grants from organizations such as the Community Assistance League. One of the more recent donations was a complete EAA plane, which will be sold to raise money for the Taylorcraft restoration.