How Things Fly - great site from the Smithsonian

How Things Fly is an great site I just learned about from Larry Ferlazzo. It is an interactive site from the Smithsonian that explains flight in a variety of ways. Topics include forces of flight, gravity and air propulsion, aerodynamics, structures and materials and flight dynamics.

Students can design and fly their own virtual airplane and there are hands on experiments to do.

This is a great resource for teaching physics and physical science, as well as about flight. Students love airplanes and flight, so this is a good way to get them interested in science.


Related:

Microsoft Flight Simulator now Free! Great STEM Resources

Orbiter Space Flight Simulator - free for Windows computers

Century of Flight - History of Aviation

Microsoft Flight Simulator now Free! Great STEM Resources

Microsoft Flight Simulator is now available for free. The free version includes tutorials, online and offline play, aircraft, missions on Hawaii. You can pay to get more aircraft, missions, scenery, and other content.

The tutorials are great and it is easy to get started.

I took pilot lessons in college (almost got license too and then instructor graduated. Will try again soon!) and Flight Simulator was a great way to practice and train.

This is a great resource to have students explore the science of flight and aircraft while having fun.

Aerodynamics, Forces and Newton's Laws, Lift, Drag/Friction, Thrust, Controls.

An Animated History Of Aviation: From da Vinci’s to the Present and beyond

I just found this great video on OpenCulture entitled "An Animated History of Aviation". It's a little over 3 min long and starts with da Vinci's flying machine ideas, to gliders, to the Wright Brothers and to the present.

The video was produced by Utah Valley University and the aviation program there.

As an aerospace engineer and aerospace buff, I loved this video.

It's a great video to use if you are doing lessons on aviation or to get students interested in aviation. Aviation has a huge role in everything from science and engineering, to social studies and the way the world interacts.

Source: http://www.openculture.com/2012/02/an_animated_history_of_aviation_from_da_vincis_sketches_to_apollo_11.html


Related:

Century of Flight - History of Aviation

Flying Firsts

Rockets - a great project for the end of the year for any class

Century of Flight - History of Aviation

Aviation is exciting, intriguing, engaging and stimulates our sense of adventure. My students love hearing about aircraft and how the physics they are learning applies to it.

Century of Flight is a great website that explores the history of aviation.It includes aviation myths and legends, early pioneers, helicopters, warplanes, space explorations, air ships, and much more.

Aviation can be used in any classroom to engage and excite your students.

Flying Firsts

PBS has a great site called Flying Firsts. The site is graphical and interactive. As you click through different milestones in flight, you can click on one and it will expand with more details. I use it in a section on flight with my physics class.

Flying Firsts is part of the Scientific American Frontiers section of PBS's site. This section has a lot of great educational resources relating to science.

PBS has a lot of other great educational resources at their PBS Teachers site.