Group that restores airplanes offers kids life lessons
By Heather Ruenz
Editor
There is a lot happening any given Saturday morning in Palmyra. There, a group of area kids are learning about airplanes from their mentors – pilots and some of their parents – but are gaining much more in the process.
The motto created by the five founders of 88Charlies, Inc. six years ago when they launched the program is: “We don’t build airplanes with kids, we build kids with airplanes.”
“We formed the group to promote technical skills while offering kids an opportunity to explore aviation, as a career, hobby or both,” one of the founders, Steve Sorge, said. “The groups’ goals are not necessarily to get an airplane built, but to get students and adults involved in the building process.”
During that process, Sorge said, students also develop skills in program management, responsibility, accountability, mutual respect, teamwork and leadership.
In addition to Sorge, the founders include Mike Rosman; his dad, the late Bill Rosman; Alan Borre; and Dave McCoy.
Though initially only boys participated, there are now a few girls who make their way to Palmyra each Saturday, including Caitlin Lamb, 14, from Waukesha.
“We found out about this from neighbors of ours who come here,” Caitlin’s mom, Marsha, said at the 88Charlies class Feb. 7. “When Caitlin said she wanted to be a pilot, I knew this was the perfect place for her to start.”
Borre was working side-by-side with Caitlin that day. They were making a metal plate to cover a hole in a piece of the airplane body that had previously housed a wind generator.
“Now, Ms. Caitlin, we need a Cleco pin that will spread out slightly once we put it through the two pieces of metal. That will hold it in place while you drill holes in them,” Borre said.
When Caitlin finished the task, Sorge asked her to hold it up so he could take a photo of her with it. She obliged, smiling. Standing a few feet away, and smiling just as proudly, was Borre.
Lessons to be taught
Even when there is a lull – if it can be labeled as such – the mentors use every opportunity possible to teach the kids something new.
At one point during the Feb. 7 class, Sorge helped a few kids draw, and then cut letters out of sheet metal even though they won’t be used on an airplane.
“Only so many people can work on the engine at once,” Sorge said. “But there are always thing that can be taught… skills that the kids will use later.”
Over the years, 88Charlies, a 501(c)3 public charity, has logged more than 15,000 hours of accumulated volunteer work with related public charities, local fundraisers and corporate-sponsored events through General Electric.
“With the help of more than 25 volunteers, 50 individual students have participated in the program,” Sorge said. Among the graduate students, he said, some have gone on to become engineers, pilots and aviation maintenance technicians.
Initially, 88Charlies held classes in a hangar at the airport in Palmyra but thanks to support from a local company, the group now has a building that better suits its needs.
Standard Process, Inc., whose headquarters are in Palmyra, allows the group to use a building it owns free of charge and also pays all of the associated overhead costs.
Goals remain the same
There is no cost to kids who join the program. Parents and other adult mentors are not only invited to join in, they are essential to the goals of the program.
“When a new kid joins, the parents bring them, get a tour of the facility and sign a release. We really encourage the parents to stay involved though, as it will give them quality time with their kids, learning things together,” Rosman said.
Though Rosman is a founder and longtime mentor of the program, he is also a parent – working alongside his sons, Matt and Jack, on Saturday mornings.
Rob Crisp, who has been involved since shortly after the group formed, has two sons who have participated. His oldest son, Austin is now a sophomore at the University of Dayton in Ohio studying Mechanical Engineering with an emphasis on Aerospace.
“I really enjoyed watching them learn things and work with their hands,” Crisp said. “I like planes and enjoy the time here with all of the people involved in it. It’s a great group.”
Greg Steinlage and all three of his three kids participate in 88Charlies.
“It’s fun to watch all of the kids that are part of this. They start out a little timid but then we watch them grow, build courage and gain self confidence and pride in what they’re doing here,” Steinlage said.
The current student body includes kids from Eagle, Palmyra, Hartland, Whitewater, Mukwonago, Fort Atkinson, Oconomowoc, Waukesha and Sheboygan. 88Charlies is open to anyone.
Levi Musselman, a 12-year old from Eagle, lives across the street from Sorge. Though he has only been coming to the shop for a few months, Musselman has already worked on four planes.
“Welding is my favorite part and working with my hands,” Musselman said.
Luke Bultman, of Whitewater who is 16 years old now, has participated since he was 9 years old.
“Mr. Ron (Nelson), who knew about it, asked my mom if he could take me. I was pretty shy and he thought it would be good for me,” Bultman said.
One of Bultman’s favorite stories from the hundreds of Saturdays he has spent in the shop revolves around a math problem.
“I listened to what they said, kind of did it in my head and then told them what I thought the answer was,” Bultman said. His answer, he said, was within a few hundredths of a fraction of what the pilots had come up with.
Bultman, who took his first flight through 88Charlies when he was 9, has now had numerous flight lessons. One of his goals once he turns 17 is to get his pilot’s license.
“It’s a great group of guys who taught me a lot, not just about airplanes but also about how to be a young man, how to speak properly and how to listen. There are a lot of great mentors there,” Bultman said.
Nelson, a self-described “adopted grandpa” can’t say enough good things about Bultman and 88Charlies.
“They are doing great things here and watching Luke grow has been more amazing than I even imagined,” Nelson said.
Get involved
Most of the money the group receives through private and corporate donations and fundraisers goes back to the kids. For every 20 hours of work students put in at the shop, they earn a one-hour flight lesson, paid for by 88Charlies.
Students have to be 13 years old to begin flying gliders but once they’re 15 they can begin flight lessons in planes and are eligible to obtain their pilots’ licenses at the age of 17.
The group is in the process of restoring its own plane – a 1946 Taylercraft BC12D, powered by a Continental A75 engine.
“It was sitting for about 20 years at the Oconomowoc airport,” Rosman said. “We are dedicating it to Standard Process for all of the generosity that they have given to us. We plan to keep it, and use it to train the students that want to learn to fly.”
The group meets from 8 a.m. to noon Saturdays, year-round, in the second building east of Standard Process’ Vita Kids Center on Royal Lee Drive in the Palmyra Industrial Park on Highway 59.
They are always in need of tools and supplies for the shop and also accept monetary donations, which can be mailed to: 88Charlies, Inc., P.O. Box 1, Eagle, WI, 53119.
For more information visit www.88charlies.com.
