Experimental aircraft construction lab
Location: SLO airpot
Coordinator: eric paton
Experimental Aircraft Construction Lab
The Experimental Aircraft Construction Lab provides student-engineers and researchers with dedicated space at the San Luis Obispo County Airport (SBP) to build, inspect, and flight-test kit-built aircraft. This facility, complete with direct runway access to take projects from the workbench to the sky, is made possible through a generous loan provided by Dr. and Mrs. Neil Paton.
Capabilities & Features
- Fabrication Tooling: Fully equipped for both sheet metal structural assembly and advanced composite layup and curing.
- Systems Integration: Specialty tooling for routing, installing, and testing core aircraft subsystems, including pneumatic, hydraulic, fuel, power distribution, and avionics suites.
- Assembly & Storage: A large footprint of dedicated floor space for staging sub-assemblies, organizing hardware, and storing long-term project components safely.
- Flight Line Operations: The airport hangar space supports build operations, final integration, engine ground runs, and ongoing flight-test operations.