Sandpoint, Idaho HS Students Achieve FAA Airworthiness Certification for Kit Aircraft

North Idaho Student Kit Plane Gets FAA Approval

The North Idaho High School Aerospace Program (ACES) reached a significant goal on October 4, 2025, when the Federal Aviation Administration inspected and certified two student-built airplanes as airworthy. The Zenith aircraft were constructed by middle school and high school students from Sandpoint working in rented hangars at the Sandpoint Airport (KSZT) during Saturday workshops from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Eric Gray, a former ACES student who worked on one of the Zenith aircraft during his own high school years, has been selected and qualified to serve as the test pilot for the FAA-approved flight testing.

The program costs approximately $15,000 annually to operate and relies on volunteer mentors who guide students through the building process. About half of the ACES builders are female students, and active participants receive free plane rides with local pilots. The program is now seeking additional funding through donations or grants to purchase another airplane kit. Interested supporters may contact highschoolaerospace@gmail.com.​​

The North Idaho High School Aerospace Program, Inc. is a nonprofit organization in Sandpoint that provides hands-on STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) training, along with career-track experience for Bonner County students.

The program, now in its 13th year, has trained 60 aviation career-bound students. The program includes academic credit, assistance with finding scholarships for flight training, and the airplane-building workshop through the ACES program.

The two airplanes just granted FAA airworthiness certification over a period of years, with middle- and high-school students working under the guidance of experienced volunteer builders and A&P mentors.