Aviation

This unit started off with a software called x-plane. The software is a simulator of an actual airplane taking off, flying, and landing. Through five lesson the class learned about general information and the four forces on an airplane which are lift, weight, thrust, and drag. Part of the lessons to understand lift was experiments proving air pressure. I learned that the faster the air speed the less pressure there is. Therefore, the curve top side of the wing increases the air speed to catch up with the air speed on the bottom side of the wing, but in return the air pressure drops, which means there is more pressure on the bottom creating lift. During the lessons of the forces on an airplane, the class also watched a documentary on the Wright brothers. Did you know that it was their mother that was the engineer, not their father? Also, did you know that the brothers were from Dayton, Ohio, but they tested their planes in Kitty Hawk, South Carolina, because of the weather, the sand dunes to cushion in case of a crash, and because of the privacy? The three criteria the Wright brothers classified in a possible valid plane were control, lift, and a way to increase thrust. Even when the Wright brothers had a plane they could fly for over a half and hour, people around the world still didn't give them any credit. It took a while and a couple trips to other countries for the world to realize what the Wright brothers had accomplished. After learning about the forces on an airplane and the Wright brothers, Mr. Taylor finally gave the go-ahead to make our balsa wood airplanes.

For the plane the class used pre-cut pieces of wood to build the diagrammed plane. The class then used tissue paper on top of the skeleton of the plane so the plane had lift. The hardest part by far was setting up the wings in the right position.

My plane flew for about only three seconds. :(