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Experimental Aircraft Construction Lab

Experimental Aircraft Construction Lab

Location: SLO Airport 

Coordinator: Eric Paton 

The Experimental Aircraft Construction Lab provides student-engineers and researchers with dedicated space at the San Luis Obispo County Airport (SBP) to build, inspect, and flight-test kit-built aircraft. This facility, complete with direct runway access to take projects from the workbench to the sky, is made possible through a generous loan provided by Dr. and Mrs. Neil Paton. 

Capabilities & Features

  • Fabrication Tooling: Fully equipped for both sheet metal structural assembly and advanced composite layup and curing. 
  • Systems Integration: Specialty tooling for routing, installing, and testing core aircraft subsystems, including pneumatic, hydraulic, fuel, power distribution, and avionics suites. 
  • Assembly & Storage: A large footprint of dedicated floor space for staging sub-assemblies, organizing hardware, and storing long-term project components safely. 
  • Flight Line Operations: The airport hangar space supports build operations, final integration, engine ground runs, and ongoing flight-test operations.