2024 SOAR Into STEM Fall Session 1: Principles of Flight

By Carmelo Turdo

High school students from St. Louis area districts, private schools and homeschools participated in the first of four fall sessions of the Wings of Hope SOAR Into STEM Program on Saturday. SOAR Into STEM provides opportunities to apply science, technology, engineering and mathematics skills in the context of the Wings of Hope humanitarian aviation mission. Topics covered include Airplane Basics, Mechanics and Engineering, Navigation and Communication and Drone/Flight Opportunities.

The students gathered in the Wings of Hope hangar on Saturday morning to begin the introductory session covering the basics of airplane flight. The instructor for the session was Lee Ann Nolte, Education Programs Manager for Wings of Hope, and she was supported by a host of volunteer mentors. The Aero Experience begins our coverage of this session with a look at the morning mentor crew, hangar safety briefing and introduction game with the "flying microphone cube." 

SOAR Into STEM supports the Wings of Hope mission of "Changing and Saving Lives Through the Power of Aviation" by introducing the students to the humanitarian aviation programs now in place in the U.S. and around the world. Here we include the Wings of Hope Medical Relief and Air Transport Program aircraft, the student tour of the hangar, a briefing on the history of Wings of Hope and a survey of their international aviation programs.

The guest speaker for this session was Damian Mahoney, a Certified Flight Instructor, firefighter, U.S. Army Blackhawk crew chief and a volunteer pilot flying Wings of Hope Medical Relief and Air Transport (MAT) missions. Mahoney gave the students an overview of his flying experience along with an introduction to the principles of flight and aircraft flight controls.     

 

The first hands-on project was to construct a foam aircraft based on the discussion of the principles of flight and aircraft flight controls. Teams of three or four students cut out and identified the control surfaces on the wings and tail and demonstrated the movement of the ailerons, flaps, elevator and rudder as if the aircraft were maneuvering in flight. These models were for demonstration only and not made for actual flight. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Following lunch, the student teams and volunteer mentors worked together to assemble and fly a more advanced design glider requiring careful attention to construction details and concepts such as center of gravity and weight and balance. During the flight test stage, adjustments were made in the placement of the internal weight and throwing techniques were perfected so that one student could throw the glider directly to another, who would catch it with minimal effort.

 

 

 

 

The Aero Experience thanks Wings of Hope and all those who contribute to the SOAR Into STEM program. We will have continuing coverage of the upcoming sessions through October.