Why do aircraft fly?

How do drones fly?

Do helicopters have wings?

These questions and more will be answered in our Introduction to Aerodynamics Flight lab. SoCal STEM carnival has developed several hands on activities that will teach students flight engineering. Students will learn the basic physics and components of flying airplanes including: Lift, low pressure areas, airfoils, wing design, and aerodynamics. This lesson and accompanying activities are safe and designed to immerse students in their own learning experience all the while expanding their knowledge about the physics that make flying possible.

Introduction to Aerodynamics Lab - Flight

Lesson Centers

Lesson Centers

  • After a brief introduction, students will be introduced to historical figures Daniel Bernoulli and Isaac Newton. Their theories are credited to the production of lift. Finally, students will engage in hands-on activity centers. These centers will allow students to design and test mini model airplanes in a wind tunnel, see aerodynamics at work in a fresh water fog chamber, and experience the joy of flight in flight simulators.

  • Students will be able to practice flying a variety of aircraft around the Inland Empire, or explore lands unknown on our simulators. Students be practicing the same motions, and manipulating similar controls to professional aviators. Our simulators are equipped with AMD Ryzen processing and legendary Nvidia Ti Graphics.

  • Students feel wind every day, but seeing air is another story! In this activity, students will be treated to the many mesmerizing movements of air around their custom aircraft in our wind tunnels! Our EVO fog tunnel uses fresh distilled water to visualize airflow around various shapes. Students will create, observe, and compare the airflow around their wonderful designs.

  • Students will create their own aircraft with a variety components in a few easy steps. When they are finished, they’ll experiment with weight and wind speed to decipher the lifting capacity of their creation.

  • Students will master the air while they master their math skills with our glider game! Students will be flexing their math abilities for extra points in this friendly competition.

    1. Student time approximately 2hrs, 55 min. This is perfect for 3 separate groups of ~24 students, or an after school program.

      Set up time - 45 min Prior to event start time as stated in google docs and related correspondence.

    2. CA NGSS Standards

      ETS1.A: Defining and Delimiting Engineering Problems (ETS1 -1,2,3)

      PS2.A: Motion and Stability (3-PS2-1) (K-PS2-2)

      1- PS4-1 through 3: Cause and Effect

    3. Lab Timing - A full lab includes 5 centers (Learn, Fly, Design, Engineer, and Compete) at 10-15 minutes each. Student counts over 24 (6 per center) may require the full 15 minutes of participation time. Therefore, Each full lab is approximately 50-60 minutes.

    4. Supervision School/Campus must provide supervision via valued teachers or proctors.

    5. Lab Centers are best suited for groups of 24-30 students at a time and Ideal for grade levels 2-6.

      **Larger groups of students may reduce simulator and Math competition turn times.

      **Fewer students may be sent, (Admin discretion)

      **Custom class sizes, grade level combinations, or other participants are per Admin’s Discretion.

    6. Lab centers include 3 Simulators and associated hardware, 2 Water powered fog tunnels, 1 high speed wind tester with associated building materials, Gliders, 3 Glider Targets, Center documentation, and decor.

    7. Electrical Note: Peak (Max) load of 15A intermittently.

    8. Location - A classroom sized indoor area is preferred, electricity is required.

    9. Sound Note : The high speed wind tester used in the ENGINEER center operates at a noticeable volume.