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Roxbury High School Could Soon Get An Airplane
By Fred J. Aun,
21 hours ago
A photo of Songbird IV, a 1962 Cessna 310H that could soon be owned by the Roxbury School District for its aviation instruction program Credits: Mike Gottfried
ROXBURY, NJ – Taxpayers who grumble about big-ticket Roxbury School District expenditures, such as the turf fields and the outdoor classroom pavilion, might suffer exploding heads when they hear this:
The district could soon get its very own airplane.
But ... relax. The twin-engine aircraft will not be used by Roxbury Schools Superintendent Frank Santora to take vacations. Nor will it shuttle educators to the annual teachers’ convention in Atlantic City.
In fact, the plane in question, a 1962 Cessna 310H, hasn’t flown in at least five years and isn’t currently airworthy. And, while these planes are worth about $180,000, the one being eyeballed by the school district won’t cost taxpayers anything.
The machine is owned by Mike Plante, president of an international relief organization called Bahamas Habitat. According to Roxbury High School Aviation Instructor Mike Gottfried and other district officials, Plante tried to sell the plane but couldn’t, due to the aircraft’s corroded fuselage, and is willing to donate it to Roxbury High School.
“The aircraft, named Songbird IV, was used for humanitarian missions, completing 35 trips to Haiti after the 2010 earthquake to deliver supplies,” Gottfried explained. He said the plane “also rescued 25 cats from Guantanamo Bay in Operation Gitmeow.”
After a potential sale fell through, Plante decided the sleek, white Cessna could still serve a purpose in helping train prospective pilots.
“Rather than let the aircraft go to waste, Mike Plante offered to donate it to RHS free of charge,” Gottfried said. “He is excited for the opportunity to have the aircraft find a new home, continuing to fulfill its humanitarian purpose in education.”
Gottfried didn’t rule-out someday restoring the Cessna, but that’s not something being planned.
“The aircraft hasn’t flown in 5–6 years and would need significant work to be airworthy again,” he said. “Roxbury’s intent is to use the aircraft for hands-on learning, ground instruction and an introduction to maintenance (not flying).”
Gottfried said he’s already started writing that stuff into the aviation curriculum.
One Problem: Getting it Here
A major hurdle, however, is getting the plane to Succasunna. It's at an airport in West Virginia.
“Since it can’t fly, we need to take the wings off the plane to fit on a trailer; it sounds like there’s a week or two of work needed by maintenance to make this happen,” Gottfried said. “While we have a lead on a trailer/driver, we have to finalize those logistics too … I’m optimistic that we’ll continue to be creative and make it work, but it could take some time, and we certainly need assistance to make it happen.”
Gottfried is asking for help from anybody with connections and/or ideas on transporting the plane. He can be emailed at aviation@roxbury.org .
Roxbury Schools Assistant Superintendent Charles Seipp said acquiring the Cessna would be “the opportunity of a lifetime” for the high school’s aviation program. Despite the corrosion on its “underbelly,” the plane is otherwise “of the highest quality,” and will serve as a “great auxiliary classroom” because “everything on the inside works,” Seipp said.
Roxbury Schools Supervisor of Science, Engineering, Design and Technology Matthew Mawn agreed.
"The plane will significantly enhance our instruction at Roxbury, providing students with hands-on experience and a learn-by-doing approach,” he said. “While there are still a few hurdles to overcome, we are well on our way to having a plane at RHS.”
Although Santora will continue driving to work, instead of flying, the superintendent seems happy. “This is the end-result of a great deal of work by a number of staff members,” he said. “It is a wonderful opportunity to see a thing like this take flight. Bad joke there.”
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