Text Size
Activity | Description | Time Required | STEM Field(s) | Recommended for 1 Day Event |
Fly-By Math | Conduct an experiment to figure out the mathematics needed to land planes safely. | 1-3 hrs | M | |
Rotor Motor | Make a paper helicopter and calculate the number of rotations as it falls. | 1 hr | SM | √ |
Sled Kite | Build a sled kite that models a type of airfoil called a parawing. | 1-1.5 hrs | SE | |
Bag Balloon | Build working models of hot air balloons using plastic bags. | 2 hrs | SE | √ |
Future Flight Equation → | Design, construct and test an experimental wing to achieve maximum distance using a portable glider catapult. | 2-3 hrs | STEM | √ |
The Wright Math → | Build a kite and use mathematics to calculate how area affects lift. | SM | ||
Proportionality: The X-Plane Generation → | To demonstrate scale models as engineering tools, students build scale models of an X plane, calculate scale factor and determine cargo capacity. | 2 hrs | TEM | |
Ring Wing Glider → | Build a glider model that demonstrates unconventional design of aircraft. | 0.5 hr | E | √ |
Four Wing Boomerang | Build and fly a paper four-wing boomerang to answer the question: Will this work in space? | 1 hr | SE | √ |
Space Shuttle Glider Fact Sheet | Build a flyable glider model to learn the parts of the space shuttle. | 0.5-1 hr | STE | √ |
Lift Experiment | Determine how the size of a wing affects lift. [Case of the Challenging Flight p. 17] | 1 hr | SE | |
Air Foils | Demonstrate how an airfoil creates lift using a paper model and fan. [Case of the Challenging Flight p. 21] | 1 hr | SM | |
Bernoulli and More Bernoulli | Six simple and quick experiments to demonstrate the bernoulli effect. [Case of the Challenging Flight p. 28] | 0.5-1 hr | S | √ |
Fluttering Fun, Point of Balance | Determine an object's center of gravity and how to change it. [Case of the Challenging Flight p. 41] | 0.5 hr | SE | |
Four Forces of Flight | Board game that helps students learn the terms associated with flight. [Case of the Challenging Flight p. 61] | 1-1.5 hrs | SE | |
Rocket Wind Tunnel | Build a wind tunnel that students can use to test the aerodynamics of planes. | 2 hrs | STEM | |
Newton Car | Measure how far a car rolls in response to the action force generated. | 1-2 hrs | SM | |
Air Engines | Construct a working model of an air engine to observe how unequal pressure creates power. | 1 hr | SM | √ |
Vectoring | Discover how vectoring the thrust from a jet engine affects movement of an airplane. | 0.5 hr | E | √ |
Jet Propulsion | Discover how a jet engine takes in air, compresses it and burns fuel to make air expand. | 1 hr | STEM | √ |
The Opposing Forces of Thrust and Drag | Conduct several simple experiments to illustrate the effects of gravity and Newton's laws on the forces affecting flight. [Courage to Soar p. 194] | 2 hrs | SM | √ |
Controlling the Plane | Build and test a straw plane and experiment with design to achieve the best test flight. [The Courage to Soar p. 227, activities 20 and 21] | 2 hrs | SM | √ |
Mars Pathfinder Egg Drop | Students make and test an egg drop container similar to NASA's Mars rover lander. | 1 hr | SE | √ |
Other Resources | ||||
Beginners Guide to Aeronautics | Series of simulations to explore the theory and practice of flight. | 1-3 hrs | STE | computer |
Future Flight Design | Virtual Design Studio for experimenting with aircraft design | 1-2 hrs | STE | computer |