Chandler, AZ — When William Brandon Peters developed a project for his Eagle Scout badge, he wanted it to reflect both his love of aviation and his respect for the nation’s veterans. The Chandler boy, 15, found both at Mesa’s Commemorative Air Force Arizona Wing Aviation Museum, which is displaying his research on the history of 80 model aircraft from World War I to the present.
“I wanted to find an Eagle project that I felt passionate about so this was a natural fit,” he said in an e-mail interview.
The son of Bill and Lisa Peters, William, is a sophomore at Arizona CollegePreparatory Academy and a member of Troop 285, chartered out of Chandler Christian Church. A Scout since 2004 who also has earned Scouting’s Arrow of Light, he is a member of his school’s swim team, National and Junior Honor Society and carries a 4.8 GPA.
He acknowledged, “my project is not a traditional project” because “it required great academic and technological skills.”
And to help with some of the heavy lifting, he enlisted the help of 20-30 volunteers and held “laptop parties.”
“The laptops parties were a chance for me to lead other Scouts. I taught them research and writing skills on their laptops as they choose aircraft to help research and catalog. Scouts could also participate remotely,” he said.
Each of the four glass model airplane displays at the museum, 2017 N. Greenfield Road, has a pedestal with William’s project in a three-ring binder. “It matches the other exhibits in the museum,” William said. “As the museum acquires new aircraft models, they can add to my project. I have already added some for them.”
Scout’s Eagle history project aids Mesa’s Commemorative Air Force Arizona Wing Aviation Museum