There was something about building an airplane that changed everything for Lee Luckhardt ‘18.

The challenge, the environment and the accomplishment. It all made Luckhardt change his future career choice.

Luckhardt always knew he wanted to go into engineering, but when he participated in GAMA’s build a plane competition and spent two weeks at Glasair Aviation in Arlington, Washington building a Glasair Sportsman when he was in high school he knew the aerospace industry was his dream career.

“It opened up my eyes to what the industry was like,” said Luckhardt, who is majoring in Mechanical Engineering and Engineering Physics. “In the aerospace industry everyone loves their jobs. Everyone loves coming to work. Airplanes are fun and challenging to build. I love a good challenge.”

Luckhardt came to Kettering University ready to learn the fundamentals of hard work, obtain real world hands-on experience and develop the skills needed to follow his passion.

He took on a double major to best prepare him for a future career in aerospace engineering. His co-op is at Williams International, a jet engine manufacturer. The experience Luckhardt is getting at Kettering is exactly what he was looking for.

“One thing that’s nice about the school is the teaching is not theoretical. I like the realistic approach that Kettering gives,” Luckhardt said, adding that engineering was the best match for him. “I grew up on a farm. I’ve always been fixing things. I like the mechanical aspect of fixing things and understanding how they worked. It was the fact that I liked to understand that and think about better ways to make things work and problem solve that way that made Kettering a great fit.”

Luckhardt’s love for the aerospace industry started in high school. The two-week program he participated in allowed his team to completely build - and fly in - a plane while also working on a second.

Normally it takes someone about seven years to finish a kit plan on their own, but his program made it possible in two weeks.

“It was incredible. People get involved in building cars and it’s the same kind of feeling. You feel accomplishment. You are impressed you were able to do it and the planes look really nice,” Luckhardt said. “The whole trip was memorable. The coolest thing was being able to fly in the planes once you finished. ‘Here is this thing that I put together and it’s flying in the air.”

Luckhardt wanted to turn this new excitement and passion into a career so he decided to attend Kettering for its engineering expertise and the chance to have work experience through co-op.

“Aerospace engineering is kind of a unique pathway at Kettering. It’s becoming more common I think,” Luckhardt said. “The big thing I like about the aerospace industry is that it’s so much more of a challenge. You can’t use materials that rust and the materials must withstand much more force than a vehicle would. Everyone in the industry works hard and is enthusiastic about what they are doing. Excitement is contagious.”

Luckhardt encourages all students to find what they are excited and passionate about and work hard for those opportunities. He didn’t get a co-op in the aerospace industry at first, but he kept working toward that goal.

“Be persistent. Don't expect everything to work out the first time,” Luckhardt said. “Don’t give up on something if it doesn’t work out right away.”