Teen creates plane replicas in bid to raise funds for Rotary club

A passion for planes has seen a young apprentice designer do his bit to help a charity.

Harry Stant has used his time at home on furlough from his apprenticeship at the Michael Beetham Conservation Centre (MBCC) to hone his skills and create two sit-on-and-ride toy aircrafts.

The 19-year-old from Sedgley has worked to create replicas of a Bristol M1 and a Fokker Eindeker, two of the planes seen at the conservation centre at RAF Cosford.

He said he was speaking to his family about what he could do to help raise funds for charity and they came up with the idea of creating the planes and donating them to Tettenhall Rotary Club.

He said: "My uncle Peter Maddox was part of the Rotary, so that's how I first became aware of them.

"The MBCC is also heavily supported by the Rotary Club, so when I approached them, they were very keen to be involved and the partnership went from there."

Harry was able to design the planes using 3D technology and used materials from local sources, with the Tettenhall Transport Heritage Centre helping with materials.

He says the planes are about a metre long and half a metre wide for wingspan - and would be suitable for growing toddlers to use.

Generous

Harry said he hoped to be able to progress towards aircraft design and engineering following his apprenticeship and work like this helped him keep his skills sharp.

He said: "I just want to express my thanks to everyone who has helped me with the project as I couldn't do it without you.

"It's been good to continue working and stay sharp and I hope it helps raise a lot of funds for charity."

Tettenhall Rotary Club expressed its delight that Harry had donated his model aeroplanes to them as a fundraising opportunity.

The club has not yet decided how to auction them or use them to raise funds, but said all money raised will be donated to one or more of the charities it supports.

Colin Garner, community services chairman, praised Harry for his generosity.

He said: "When Harry was furloughed from his apprenticeship at RAF Cosford, he embarked on a project to build these aeroplanes to enable him to practise his considerable skills.

"It is most generous of him to donate them to Tettenhall Rotary Club to help us raise funds for local good causes."