To Whom It May Concern:
My name is Hunter Hollingshead; I am an aerospace engineering student at Virginia Tech and I write to you in search of assistance in starting a club to build an aircraft at Virginia Tech. Last year I went to each of my Aerospace professors requesting sponsorship for the club and information on how to get school funding and was essentially met with a ?you?re not going to be able to get funding and this is not a plausible goal? response. I have since resorted to applying to start an undergraduate research project called Craft and Design of MAV?s (Manned Aerial Vehicles). The goal for this project is to give myself and other students experience designing and building aircrafts. This will greatly improve the opportunity students have for getting careers in the aeronautical field, especially considering that VANS Inc. doesn?t even review resume?s of those with no aircraft building experience.
If given the opportunity I would like Craft and Design of MAV?s to evolve into a student run organization to finish building your Vans RV 7 (and many more aircrafts thereafter) to be used analogously to EAA?s Young Eagles program. I would encourage more pilots and aviation fanatics to join the club and experience all aspects of aviation from the ground up. I also hope to use other funding received to enroll students in aircraft building seminars such as those offered by EAA this fall so that we may better educate members of the group.
Please consider my letter and feel free to contact me with questions and suggestions,
Hunter Hollingshead
609-221-7135
hunterh@vt.edu