Students' Drive Goes Into Summer Camp Super Car

MIAMI (CBS4) - A group of local students are working on a powerful project in a special summer camp in Opa-Locka.

In just a few months, they're souped-up' super car will race an F-18 jet. As you may suspect, it's not your typical summer camp. Instead of splashing in a swimming pool these kids are diving into a project that requires science, math, and elbow grease.

In this camp, the kids don't make arts and crafts with popsicle sticks and crazy glue, instead they use power tools and sheet metal. Catherine Knowles, 12, is back for a second summer at the S.T.E.M.S. Academy at "Experience Aviation."

"We're building a GTM super car and we've been working on it for like a week now," she said proudly.

While many of her classmates want to be movie stars or fashion designers, Knowles is going another route.

"I either want to be a pilot or a car designer," she said.

The S.T.E.M.S. camp will help her. The students are building a race car from scratch with help from auto expert instructors. The camp is the brain child of Opa-Locka's own famous pilot Barrington Irving. He is the youngest person to ever fly solo around the world. This time he's going to race against an airplane, from the ground.

"I will be driving this car against a fighter jet. We expect it to reach at least 200 mph and this will be all built by students and volunteers here within Miami," said Irving.

Eric Cumberbatch, 12, can't wait to see the car in action.

"I want to hear the engine alive. It's always fun when you hear something alive," he said, smiling.

Though he's not sure it will actually win a race against a fighter jet.

"Nah, I think it's going to be a tad bit behind it," said Cumberbatch.

The big race will happen in the next few months. Camp leaders are still planning the exact time and place. For more on the race and the summer camp check out www.experienceaviation.org.

Irving is also working on another flying adventure. He plans to transform a small jet into a flying classroom. He hopes to fly all over the world, even to Antarctica, and teach lessons with scientists and other experts. Students will participate virtually. His flying classroom project is set to take off in October of 2013.