If you drove past Eastland Career Center on April 1, you may have thought you were witnessing an April Fool’s joke when you saw a plane taxing down a makeshift runway. This was no joke; rather, a project that highlights the invaluable student experiences that come from our partnerships.
Last summer, the Fairfield County Sheriff’s Office donated a plane, a Cesna 172 Model A made in 1959, to Eastland-Fairfield’s Aviation program. The caveat? The plane didn’t run. It had been sitting, unused, in a hanger at the Fairfield County Airport for nearly 10 years before it was put into motion again, so it needed a little tender loving care.
Beginning in August, students pulled the engine out of the plane, tore it down, and cleaned it. Then in December, after new parts arrived, they began the arduous process of rebuilding the engine. A second partnership came into play when beginning the reassembly process. Business partner and Columbus State University aviation maintenance instructor, Gene Sprang, made multiple visits to the ECC Aviation hangar to help students with putting the Cesna back together with the hopes of making it operational again.
On April 1, their work culminated when they heard the engine turn over and put the plane in motion.
Brandon Reynard ‘24, a recent graduate from Reynoldsburg High School, was privileged to drive the plane that day. He said it was “rewarding to feel it run and taxi” after all those months of hard work.
The students who worked on the plane came away with several valuable lessons, first and foremost, the importance of keeping track of parts.
Reynard hopes to secure an apprenticeship as a maintenance technician at Republic Airways upon graduating before he enlists in the Air Force this August.
So, the next time you see something unusual, remember, it might just be the result of an unexpected partnership and some incredible student teamwork!
For more information about the Eastland-Fairfield Aviation program, visit
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