The students of the Lakeland Aero Club are building a Patriot Aircraft PA-18R Recruit Cub this week at the Sun ‘n Fun Aerospace Expo at Florida’s Lakeland Linder International Airport (KLAL). The club, whose members are between the ages of 14 and 24, is hoping to complete the fuselage, wings and 118-HP O-200 powerplant by the end of the show. Patriot Aircraft and Air-Tech Coatings are partnering with the club for the project.
“The idea of this airplane is that EAA chapters can form flying clubs around this kit build,” said Lakeland Aero Club President Michael Zidziunas. “We’re trying to demonstrate that the kit is viable and easy to build and a chapter can do it in a reasonable amount of time.”
If the build goes according to plan, Zidziunas says they plan to bring the finished aircraft to Oshkosh, Wisconsin, for AirVenture 2021. Previous projects completed by the club’s members at Sun ‘n Fun include a C90 engine and a Redbird FMX full motion flight simulator. Founded in 2010, the Lakeland Aero Club currently has 63 active members.
