by Shashank Jejurikar ’13, A&E Editor
From a young age, boys are drawn to building things. As kids, we played around with Lego pieces and building blocks, and as we got older we may have dabbled in woodworking, whittling, or other such manly endeavors. For most guys, however, more complex construction projects tend only to be thought of in bouts of wishful day-dreaming or as vague aspirations. For Alex Warner, these ambitious projects are a passion.
Warner has been building model planes since his grandparents gave him his first kit in 5th Grade, and he has been improving his craft ever since. “After my first build, I was hooked,” explains the sophomore. “I have always had a strong passion for building just about anything.” This comes as no surprise, considering the sheer amount of work that goes into the process of making a model plane. Alex comprehensively details his step-by-step procedure: “The parts start out on a flat sheet of balsa wood, usually 1/16” thick. These parts need to be punched out. The idea is that you build directly on the plans, or “blueprints”, as some tend to call them. I like to start with the body of the plane. The parts get pinned directly into their respective places and are glued together with plain old Elmer’s white glue. Eventually, we can take the frame off the building board and begin adding 1/16” Sq. stringers that run the length of the fuselage. Then we have some sanding to do on the frames to make sure everything is flush and neat. I usually cover my planes with tissue paper, similar to the stuff you probably put in your gift bags. The tissue is essentially glued on with a mixture of Elmer’s glue and water. Once the excess tissue is trimmed, I shrink it with water mist. This works the same way your 100% cotton T-shirt shrinks when you first wash it. Then, we have to seal the tissue and paint.”
Obviously, these constructions can take a good chunk of time – for a plane with a 24” wingspan, the construction process lasts anywhere from 20 to 25 hours. Finishing with a simply well-built plane is not enough, however. After taking these steps, Alex then starts the decoration process. “I decorate my planes that are for display by airbrushing them with acrylics. 8 coats of very light coats normally does the trick.” He continues, “Decals are also added, which make up for the insignias characteristic of that aircraft.” The insignias are of special importance; in fact, the background of the plane itself goes hand in hand with the construction of the model. “Every scale aircraft I build has a particular history . . . It is always characteristic of the time era during which it was designed, and of its original purpose,” he professes. “Some planes have very interesting histories, which I enjoy learning about.”
Alex Warner’s interest in planes goes far beyond even building models and studying their histories. In fact, his passion for aircraft could provide a
basis for his future profession: “Ever since I built my first plane 5 years ago, I have always wanted a career in aviation.”
Warner’s talents, as well as his passion, are very unique. His are some of many skills and interests that make our school truly diverse.