Inside Learn Build Fly: A Hands-On Aviation and STEM Program for Kids in Wausau, Wisconsin
Tuesdays are quickly becoming my son’s favorite night of the week.
Every Tuesday evening, we head to Learn Build Fly at the Wausau Downtown Airport, and every single week he comes home a little more confident, a little more capable, and a little more excited to go back.
If you’ve never heard of Learn Build Fly, it’s a hands-on aviation and STEM program for kids and adults that started as a nonprofit airplane restoration project… but it has grown into something so much bigger than that.
Now it’s this incredible community of pilots, engineers, mechanics, builders, welders, teachers, and lifelong learners sharing what they know with the next generation.
And I truly mean all generations.
There are retired pilots and engineers working alongside teenagers who are teaching younger kids how to weld, sand airplane parts, rebuild engines, and learn skills most adults would never attempt.
A Hands-On Learning Experience for Kids
Last Tuesday, my 9-year-old was learning TIG welding from a 13-year-old girl with more patience and confidence than most adults I know.
Watching her calmly work through his nervousness, encourage him, and help him keep trying was incredible.
Because welding is intimidating when you’re nine.
Honestly, it’s intimidating when you’re an adult.
The sparks, the heat, the protective gear, the precision of it all… it’s not something most kids would naturally feel comfortable doing the first time.
But that’s part of what makes this place so special.
No one is forcing these kids to be there.
They WANT to be there.
They want to learn.
They want to build.
They want to contribute.
They want to master something difficult.
And watching that happen in real time has honestly been incredible for me as a parent.
One of the projects my son has been helping with is restoring the pieces of a plane called the Commonwealth SkyRanger. Every week, he and another young girl spend over an hour hand-sanding layers and layers of paint off these pieces so they can eventually be refinished.
It’s tedious work.
Slow work.
Weeks-and-weeks kind of work.
But he’s proud of it.
He talks about “their project.” He explains to other people how they’ve been sanding so the finish stays even. He sees himself as part of something bigger than himself.
More Than Welding and Airplane Restoration
And I think that’s what I keep noticing over and over again at Learn Build Fly.
These kids aren’t just learning welding, woodworking, airplane restoration, engine rebuilding, flight simulation, or 3D printing.
They’re learning patience.
Responsibility.
Confidence.
Problem solving.
Work ethic.
Pride in doing hard things well.
And maybe most importantly… they’re learning that capable people aren’t magically born capable. They become capable by showing up over and over again.
Truthfully, this didn’t happen overnight for us. We didn’t walk into the hangar one Tuesday and instantly feel like part of everything.
My son had to keep showing up.
He had to step outside his comfort zone.
He had to talk to people he didn’t know yet.
He had to ask questions.
He had to start slowly finding his place.
And I think that’s part of why this experience matters so much.
Confidence doesn’t magically appear.
Community doesn’t magically happen either.
Sometimes belonging is built one Tuesday night at a time.
Why Mentorship Matters for Kids
Now he walks into the hangar excited every single week, already thinking about the projects he’s working on and the people he gets to learn alongside.
As a parent, watching that transformation has been incredible.
There’s something powerful about seeing kids trusted with meaningful work.
Not busywork.
Not entertainment.
Real work.
The kind of work that requires patience and persistence.
The kind of work that lets them look back at the end of the night and say:
“I helped build that.”
And honestly, in a world where so much feels disconnected and virtual, there’s something deeply refreshing about watching kids learn with their hands again.
Programs like Learn Build Fly create opportunities for mentorship, hands-on STEM education, youth aviation experiences, and real-world skill building in a way that feels increasingly rare.
If you’ve been looking for something like this for your kids… a place to learn real skills, work alongside incredible mentors, and become part of something meaningful…
We’ll see you Tuesday night at the hangar.
~Carissa
