Wired is reporting that a teenager from Virginia is preparing to compete at the Short Takeoff and Landing competition at this weekend's Valdez Fly-in, one of the premier events of the gathering. Bobby Breeden, a 17-year-old who tells Wired he's enrolled in five Advanced Placement classes in high school, is planning to be very competitive, with a specially built Super Cub designed specifically for just such a competition. Breeden is still only a student pilot, with about 200 hours of flight time overall.

The article reports that the custom-built plane has a 210 horsepower engine, a composite propeller weighing only 14 pounds and sits on underinflated Tundra Tires. The plane can reportedly take off in 10 feet and land in 17. Check out a video of the aircraft in action(watch to the end for the short takeoff):

Read more about the plane's specs, its young pilot, and the plan of attack for the STOL competition beginning Saturday, at Wired.