Teaching by design and example

By Tom Mead

Just as the Wright brothers dreamed of flying almost 100 years ago, so now do thousands of youngsters who look to the sky and sketch their dreams on scraps of paper. The advantage today, however, is that students have access to information on the web that could turn their sketches into airplanes that can really fly. In fact, through Wright Flyer Online students can access data the Wright brothers only guessed at.

The Wright Flyer biplane, the first powered airplane ever flown, was built by the Wright brothers in 1903. Their work became the foundation for the science and technology of aeronautics. Aeronautics engineers from the Los Angeles Chapter of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) have produced a full-size replica of that plane from drawings provided by the Smithsonian Institute. The idea is to test the biplane in a wind tunnel at the NASA Ames Research Center's National Full-Scale Aerodynamics Complex to provide a historically accurate aerodynamic database of the plane. The replica has been strengthened to meet requirements of the wind-tunnel tests, which are planned for early 1999. The tests will include stability, control and handling at speeds up to 30 mph. Based on the test data, a second replica will be built and flown at the 100th anniversary of the original flight in 2003.

"The Aero Design Team Online website has tremendous educational potential," said Susan Lee, Aero Design Team Online (ADTO) project manager. "It provides curricula to help teachers use the wind-tunnel data; it provides opportunities to meet with the AIAA engineers; and drawing on the unique, one-time wind-tunnel test, it puts the information into an historical context."

Along with aeronautics, the ADTO website encourages discussion of the history, math and science that influenced the first powered flight and provides a variety of activities to reinforce the concepts. Lesson plans based on the wind-tunnel tests, collaborative online activities and teacher suggestions to help students communicate with NASA experts will be online. The teacher-to-teacher discussion list will be moderated. The website's Teacher Lounge contains resources that can be viewed, downloaded or printed, as well as advance notice of events so teachers can plan their classroom activities.

"Web-based learning provides the opportunity for contact with working professionals who often serve as role models," said Lee. "Website data from projects such as the Wright Flyer offer much more up-to-date science information than textbooks can offer. Working through the web also provides a kind of anonymity—students are treated as individuals interested in planes and flying. It doesn't matter if they are from the city or the country, if they are handicapped, or if they belong to a minority. What's important are their ideas and their enthusiasm."

For further information:

back to top | more events