| To say that Timothy Carlson likes aviation is an understatement. As a student pilot, he is just a few flights away from earning his private pilot’s license. He will graduate from Flabob Airport Preparatory Academy in Riverside next month, and he plans to attend San Bernardino Valley College for its aviation maintenance technician program. Carlson wants to become a commercial pilot one day, and he spent about 18 months restoring an aircraft at March Field Air Museum for his Eagle Scout project. He began working on the cosmetic restoration of a Folland MK1 Gnat, produced by Hindustan Aeronautics, on Sept. 24, 2016. The project was officially completed Feb. 25, 2018, after more than 1,300 man hours had been logged for the project. “One of the main reasons that my project took so long is because I had a standard I wanted to meet with the end result,” Carlson said in his project narrative. “This project was the most challenging thing I have ever done.” Jeff Houlihan, director for Collection, Exhibits and Restoration at March Field Air Museum, wrote a letter to the Boy Scout Council about Carlson’s complex challenge of restoring the vintage Indian Air Force F-1 Gnat jet fighter. “During each phase of this complicated restoration process; planning, organization and execution, Tim exhibited a level of competency worthy of the finest museum professional,” wrote Houlihan, who also served as Eagle Project coordinator. “His attention to detail and great respect for the fragility and historical import of the aircraft ensured success.” One day when Carlson was at the museum working on the project, he said one of the volunteers, who was from India, pulled him aside and thanked him for restoring a “piece of her home.” She said that whenever she looked at the Gnat, it took her back to her homeland. “When I was told that, I realized that this project was bigger than just an Eagle Scout project,” he said. Carlson turned 18 May 6, the day he was awarded his Rank advancement and was recognized for his nomination for The National American Legion Eagle Scout of the Year award, which will be named later this month. Carlson, nominated through the Harold W. Hyland American Legion Post 53 of Hemet, was the only nominee from Riverside County. “His Eagle Scout project is the most intense I have witnessed in my scouting career,” said Russell Mills, unit commissioner for California Inland Empire Council BSA for the San Jacinto Valley, who has been involved with scouting the past 50 years. The formal Eagle Scout presentation ceremony was held at March Field Air Museum in Riverside where the restored aircraft is housed. When Carlson was 11, he started as a Boy Scout with Troop 007. He joined Troop 6006 in 2015. “Tim uses his passion for flying to guide his enthusiasm for life,” wrote Shawna Lewis, Teaching Vice Principal at Flabob Airport Preparatory Academy, in a recommendation letter. Carlson said he likes the freedom he feels when he’s at the controls. “You don’t worry about anything when you are flying; you leave all your problems on the runway,” he said. Carlson has served as a Junior Docent at March Field Air Museum since 2016, guiding visitors and training volunteers. Now he will be able to show his own work: The restored Gnat sits at the front of the museum in its main hangar. He said the most important lesson he learned while giving up weekends, holidays and vacations to complete his Eagle Scout project is how important it is to keep your word. “If you say you will take on a task, you keep doing it until it’s finished,” Carlson said. “There were times when I went to work on this project alone, not because I necessarily wanted to but because it was my responsibility to make it happen – I gave my word it would be done.” 
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