Not many Grade 10 students can say they spent their winter break testing out jet engines in their backyard. For Grade 10 Student Daniel A., his holiday highlight was the successful launch of his miniature jet engine which he has been building in Design class for his Personal Project.

A few Christmases ago, Daniel received a 3D printer as a gift from his parents and he immediately began watching YouTube videos of all the things he could make with his new gadget. He was particularly captured by videos teaching him how to print 3D parts so he could build steam engines.

Fast forward to today, he wanted to go bigger and bolder and was inspired by a video to create his very own miniature replica of a Boeing jet engine and knew he wanted to build it for his Grade 10 Personal Project.

“By taking on a complex Personal Project like building a jet engine, I hope that I can motivate other students to push themselves to do something ambitious. I want this to spark creativity in others.”

And indeed, a complex project it was. Due to manufacturing limitations, Daniel had to design and simulate a jet engine from the ground up. After endless hours of designing, 3D printing parts, assembling, and a lot of trial and error, he finally created an identical replica of a Boeing jet engine, just 37 times smaller, but there was just one more challenge. His jet engine was made of plastic, and it would melt if he tried to launch it. It was back to the drawing board for Daniel. He began researching metal manufacturers nearby and contacted a local machinist who even became his mentor on this project. Daniel also learned how to weld and roll sheet metal without prior experience! With his newfound skills and the support and expertise of the machinist, Daniel was able to create a steel jet engine that could withstand the intense heat created during testing.

When Daniel showed his Design Teacher, Mr. Lester the work he had done on his project, Mr. Lester was in awe of the work his student had done. “It is an amazing project! I have never seen anything even close to it in all my years of teaching. He did a prototype last year for Design and it was outstanding. I really want to see him rewarded and recognized for this project,” says Mr. Lester.

With the success of Daniel’s working jet engine, he already has ideas for his next build –he plans to create his own propeller engine!