Too much material will weigh you down. The sixth segment in a series of 22 highlights how weight affects a plane. Pupils learn that engineers take the properties of materials, including weight, when designing something. 

Students investigate ways to enhance an object's flying ability.  In this model construction lesson, students construct two paper airplanes, one of which is twice as big as the first.  Students compare and contrast the two...

Students discover how flight is possible.  In this physics lesson, students investigate the properties of a blimp and gyro-copter, comparing rotating wings and fixed wings of aircraft.  Students create their own model aircraft...

Students discover how air pressure effects flight.  In this physics lesson, students create two types of airplane wings so they can observe the way air pressure creates lift.  Students utilize a printout to create the airplane...

Students explore the principles of flight. In this flight instructional activity, students construct a model plane and investigate the forces acting on the flier. They will measure the thrust and calculate the stored energy.

Students investigate the physics of flight by experimenting in class.  In this history of flight lesson plan, students define terms such as gravity, lift, and drag in order to better understand how a plane is able to stay in the...

It's the law—every action requires a reaction, no matter how small. Pupils experience two demonstrations of Newton's third law of motion as it relates to thrust in the 10th segment of a 22-part unit on flight. Using their mathematical...

How high will it fly? Pairs build straw rockets and launch them at different angles and determine the height and horizontal distance of the flight path. Teams make conjectures about how the angle affects the measured distances and use...

Sixth graders investigate the forces that move certain objects.  In this physics instructional activity, 6th graders design and create paper flying objects using origami methods, which they practice flying in different conditions....

Using PVC pipe and aquarium tubing, build an altitude tracker. Pupils then use the altitude tracker, along with a tangent table, to calculate the altitude of a launched rocket using the included data collection sheet.

The history of aerodynamics is rich with experimentation and international collaboration. Author Joyce Bryant relays this dynamic past and provides math word problems using the formula of lift, the force that makes airplanes fly. She...

When going for distance, does it make a difference at what angle you launch the rocket? Teams of three launch foam rockets, varying the launch angle and determining how far they flew. After conducting the series of flights three times,...

Students explore physics by participating in a science activity in class. In this flight properties lesson, students identify Bernoulli's principle of flight and his theory of statics and motion. Students conduct a demonstration by...

Students explore physics by creating data graphs in class. In this flight properties lesson, students read the book Flying Machine and identify the force, resistance and construction necessary to keep a glider in the air. Students...

Students build a kite while integrating math and science. For this kite building lesson, students construct a blueprint and apply mathematical formulas while constructing a kite. They use appropriate flight and kite terminology to...

Students make and fly a sled kite out of plastic garbage bags, dowel rods, and more. In this kite lesson plan, students plan the kite to have symmetry and make adjustments as they test it.

Students explain the historical significance of use of the scientific method in developing the first airplane and appreciate the process involved in developing a new technology.

In this hyperbola worksheet, 10th graders solve and complete 6 different problems. First, they determine the cross-section of a hyperbolic paraboloid curve. Then, students find where the cone intersects the ground in hyperbola as...

In this paper helicopter learning exercise, students design and experiment making a paper helicopter to explore how some things fall and how varying the size of the rotor blades affect the way a helicopter spins.

Students use the World Wide Web to access and use FoilSim. They also use the World Wide Web to access the NASA Glenn Web site for information relative to the factors involved with the flight of an airplane.

High schoolers, after reading an explanation from a NASA Web site, demonstrate an understanding of the text by applying it to questions involving Maximum Flight Time and Range under varying conditions.

Pupils practice solving problems logically. Using the internet, students observe pictures and facts about the SR-71 Blackbird. They convert statistics about the aircraft. Pupils explore terms of flight and convert them to everyday terms.

Learners explore physics by participating in a flight experiment. In this rocket design lesson, students discuss the scientific process and how chemical reaction can create the energy needed to boost a rocket. Learners utilize...

Students investigate the history of fighter kites and build their own.  In this aeronautics lesson, students discover how other countries utilize fighter kites and where they originated.  Students create their own fighter kites...