Students have been taught that atmospheric temperature drops linearly with altitude, up to approximately 15 km. However, even after completing an undergraduate degree program, most students have only memorized such information and have never had the experience of measuring it. Students often assume that experimental tasks must involve the use of…

What better way to engage fifth-grade students in science and engineering practices than to use paper airplanes to encourage them to question, explore, create, and test designs! This multi-day unit draws from a fourth-grade curriculum (Pearson 2012) aligned with the "Next Generation Science Standards" (NGSS Lead States 2013) used in…

"How does an aircraft fly?" is one of the most frequently asked science questions by young pupils. The lift on airplane wings also makes a great example of the application of the Bernoulli principle while teaching fluid mechanics in introductory physics and engineering courses. The topic is of great interest and is therefore covered in…

Some apparently confusing aspects of Newton's laws as applied to an aircraft in normal horizontal flight are neatly resolved by a careful analysis of force, momentum, energy and power. A number of related phenomena are explained at the same time, including the lift and induced drag coefficients, used empirically in the aviation industry.

There is no doubt that integrated concepts inspire students and take learning to a new level. As we fly, we fly through the magnetic field of the Earth. We used the concepts involved in flying to develop an exercise that bonds geology, physics and life sciences.

Computer simulations continue to prove to be a valuable tool in physics education. Based on the needs of an Aviation Physics course, we developed the PHYSics of FLIght Simulator (PhysFliS), which numerically solves Newton's second law for an airplane in flight based on standard aerodynamics relationships. The simulation can be used to pique…

In a typical engineering or physics curriculum, the momentum equation is used for the determination of jet engine thrust. Even a simple thrust analysis requires a heavy emphasis on mathematics that can cause students and engineers to lose a physical perspective on thrust. This article provides for this physical understanding using only static…

An ordinary flight became an interesting and amusing event when a look through the window of the plane revealed unusual light spots on the winglet. This article discusses the occurance we saw. Two possible explanations are presented. (Contains 8 figures.)

This paper illustrates a new and practical experimental technique for studying the Doppler effect where the pitch variation of noise from a passing aircraft is used to calculate its speed.

This paper describes our flight aboard NASA's C9 "Weightless Wonder," an aircraft that creates multiple periods of microgravity by conducting a series of parabolic maneuvers over the Gulf of Mexico. Because passengers often develop motion sickness during these parabolic maneuvers, the C9 is more affectionately known as the "Vomit Comet." To…

A program description and evaluation for a high school course in aviology is presented. The curriculum, originally taught at the Laboratory School at the University of Florida, was designed to: (1) use aviation as a motivator for science; (2) present an overview of aviation; (3) help students see their role in the future of aviation; (4) provide…

The reorganization of the curriculum and the necessary assembling of proper materials of instruction attendant thereto are probably receiving more of the attention of educational leaders at the present moment than any other school problem. The Bureau of Education is endeavoring to be of assistance to those attempting a solution of this important…