For the first time in Flour Bluff ISD history, a plane built by high school students took to the skies Tuesday morning.
Dozens of students and staff lined Waldron Road, watching as their fellow Hornets' creation soared overhead. After the plane touched back down at Corpus Christi International Airport, I caught up with the students and staff who made it happen.
Barrett Matthews, a Flour Bluff aviation student who helped build the aircraft and flew in it, described the moment as unlike anything he expected.
"It was surreal. It's crazy to like work on something for 3 years and then actually see it work because you run into so many problems and you're like there's no way this thing's gonna fly. Like it's built by kids and then you're flying over and you're like, oh my God, this is crazy." Matthews said.
The project started with just a single crate of parts and took nearly 3 years to complete, with multiple classes of students rotating through the build.
For aviation instructor Caleb Harris, seeing his students' hard work finally take flight was the ultimate validation.
"The whole time for me and for the students, the real milestone is flying, and so that's really good to see." Harris said.
Senior Jolina Matas, who worked on the left wing and experienced the flight firsthand, said the historic moment is just the beginning.
"This is the first plane, and I hope that because of this and the success that has happened with this plane, we'll be able to keep the program alive and going and more people will have the same opportunity that I've been given." Matas said.
Flour Bluff Superintendent Chris Steinbruck said Tuesday's flight represented more than a successful project — it was a blueprint for the future of hands-on learning.
"This is exactly what technical education should look like. Our students over the course of two years were able to work with the most skilled aviation professionals in the world to build this airplane." Steinbruck said.
The Corpus Christi Army Depot provided expertise and guidance throughout the project. Depot Commander Col. Kevin Considine said the partnership reflects the community's deep aviation roots.
"Aviation maintenance and aviation sustainment is in the blood of this community, and that's what we're seeing out here today." Considine said.
With more planes already in production, the Hornets plan to keep climbing.
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