History is being made at the Great Park!

A team of students from UCI's Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering is building a full-scale replica of a World War I Curtiss JN-4 “Jenny” biplane.

The project is part of a collaboration with the Flying Leatherneck Heritage Foundation — the organization that is currently building the Flying Leatherneck Aviation Museum, which is expected to open on the former El Toro Marine Corps Air Station at the Great Park in early 2027.

The students are using original blueprints, historic parts, and modern 3-D printing technology to reconstruct the 1918 aircraft to meet Smithsonian Museum standards.