Peggy O'Brien, a teacher in the Aeronautics Curricula at PLP, conceived of the project in 1993. She envisioned a hands-on project for her 7th and 8th grade students that would introduce some of the vocational opportunities in aviation. Members of the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) Chapter 49 offered to provide assistance and training on aircraft construction for both the students and teachers. One of their stipulations was that the aircraft be constructed so that it would be capable of flight, rather than a display or museum piece. We hoped to be able to instill in the students the sense of responsibility that goes with the realization that the results of their work would actually be flown. The KITFOX experimental aircraft kit was purchased from the Skystar Corporation with funding grants from the Northrop and California Edison Corporations. The plan was to construct the airplane at the PLP classroom site that was being created at the Palmdale Mall. In this way the construction progress could be observed by the entire community.

The kit was delivered in Aug 1993. Many of the major parts were preassembled as part of the kit. For example, the entire fuselage structural assembly had been welded and primed at the Skystar factory.

Student training sessions began in Feb 1994 in portable classrooms since the Palmdale Mall site was still under construction. The wheels and brake disks were installed on the landing gear struts. The main landing gear, tailwheel, and tires were then installed on the fuselage temporarily to allow it to be moved around more easily.

The students learned how to operate the power drills and how to make basic measurements. The pitch control system was installed and the rudder pedal attachment brackets were created by the students out of aluminum stock.