Aviation Design
The following aviation projects are great projects to do with students as part of a larger STEM program, summer camp, or can even be used as a way of bringing other subjects to life by having some cross-curricular integration between different subjects such as history and STEM. A variety of projects are available and can be used to structure and scaffold skill development, or be used for various learning outcomes.
Advanced Aviation Projects
The following projects are intended for use in more advanced STEM courses to teach students about aviation design and the engineering process. It is recommended that you first develop practical skills using one of the practice plane designs from the historical series before having students attempt one of these more advanced projects.
The “Simple Glider Project” is a customizable project where students will make a number of design choices to test a hypothesis. There are over 128 possible design configurations that students can create by making a number of guided choices such as: creating a simple straight wing, making the wing wider, adding dihedral, cranked dihedral, polyhedral, sweeping the wing back, adding winglets etc.
The “Sea Otter Project” is a much more complex design that demonstrates how two-dimensional substrates get cut and folded to create three-dimensional structures similar to how real planes get built and assembled in real life. Additionally, this plane has more space available in the fuselage making it a practical design for adding electronics. There are a number of electronics available from Sino-Exchange that are ideally suited for this project. Using our “Aviation Circuit Designs” you can add safety lights and recover beacons to the “Sea Otter Project”.
View all electrical design projects, or view only the aviation circuit designs that relate to this particular project.
Historical Series
The following 4 planes focus on developing practical skills needed to attempt larger and more complex aviation projects while also exploring evolutionary jumps in aviation technology throughout the twentieth century.
All of these planes can be built using the provided design templates and 5mm KT Foam-Board. Simply print out the design templates on A3 paper (make sure you print at 100% no resize). Next use double sided tape to securely mount the designs on a sheet of A3 foam-board. Then cut out all of the pieces and assemble the planes. Some hot glue will be required.
Then use coins to balance the planes to make them fly better. Talk to your students about weight and counter weights. Where would you add some weight to the plane and why? Think about these models… Do they have an engine? Where would the engine go? Would the engine add a lot of extra weight to the plane if it was installed where the student suggests it should be?
Finally have some fun. Have some competitions to see which planes fly the best.
A3930 Double Wing
This two seat biplane was designed by John Kenworthy during the First World War at the Royal Aircraft Factory in England. The A3930 served as the one of the main British reconnaissance and artillery spotting aircraft from mid-1917 to the end of the war.
A6M Zero
The A6M Zero was considered to have been the most capable carrier-based fighter in the world when it was introduced in the early part of World War II. Due to its excellent maneuverability and very long range this plane quickly became one of the most influential planes in the Japanese war effort from 1940 to 1945.
F-16 Slingshot Jet
The F-16 Falcon is an iconic plane that has spurred rumours variations that are used by nations all over the globe. While newer models such as the F-35 are far superior to this early model, the development and the significance of the F-16 and all of its variants are an important aspect in aviation and military history.
Simple Glider
As aviation design continues to advance, and flight becomes more common practice, so does access to the general public. A number of powered and non-powered glider models are now popular amongst flight hobbyist who use these planes for recreational use.