The many activities contained in this teaching guide emphasize hands-on involvement, prediction, data collection and interpretation, teamwork, and problem solving. The guide also contains background information about aeronautical research that can help students learn how airplanes fly. Following the background sections are a series of activities that demonstrate the basic science of aeronautics while offering challenging tasks in design. Each activity employs basic and inexpensive materials. In each activity teachers will find construction diagrams, material and tools lists, and instructions. A brief background section within each activity elaborates on the concepts covered and points back to the introductory material in this guide. Also included is information about where the activity applies to science and mathematics standards, assessment ideas, and extensions. Because many of the activities and demonstrations apply to more than one subject area, a matrix chart identifies opportunities for extended learning experiences. The chart indicates these subject areas by activity title. In addition, many of the student activities encourage student problem-solving and cooperative learning. The length of time involved for each activity varies according to its degree of difficulty and the development level of the students. Finally, the guide concludes with a glossary of terms, suggested reading list, NASA educational resources including electronic resources, and an evaluation questionnaire. Appended are: (1) Glossary; (2) NASA Educator Resource Center Network; and (3) Evaluation Reply Card. (Contains 16 figures.) [This publication was developed for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Dryden Flight Research Center) by "PAT" (Preservation of Aerospace Technology) Projects, Inc., with the assistance of teachers from the Antelope Valley in North Los Angeles County and Kern County of California.]