2023 SOAR Into STEM Fall Session 1: Principles of Flight

By Carmelo Turdo

High school students from St. Louis area districts 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 in the sessions 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 Robert Powell, Education Coordinator for Wings of Hope, and he was supported by a host of volunteer mentors. We begin our coverage with the students gathered in the hangar receiving a safety briefing from Director of Operations, Tim Long.

One objective of SOAR Into STEM is to introduce the students to the field of humanitarian aviation. Robert Powell described the Wings of Hope domestic Medical Relief and Air Transport (MAT) Program and Global Programs before inviting one the longest-serving Wings of Hope humanitarian pilot/A&P mechanics, Ed Schertz, to address the students. Recipient of the FAA's highest two highest awards, the Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award and the Charles Taylor Master Mechanic Award, Schertz has served Wings of Hope since 1971 as a pilot and A&P/IA in Central and South America as well as Director of Maintenance in St. Louis. He continues to serve as a volunteer A&P/IA at Wings of Hope and occasionally travels to perform annual inspections on aircraft serving in Wings of Hope affiliated organizations.

 

The first hands-on project was to construct a foam aircraft based on a discussion of the principles of flight and basic aircraft structures. 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 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 to produce progressively longer flights. Additional flight experiments will be conducted at the beginning of the next session.

The final hour of the session included a meeting between mentors and their small groups of assigned students. Conversation topics ranged from a review of the day's activities to general interests and career aspirations. Each session will continue these mentor meetings, and a reference web site is being prepared for the students as they explore further aviation STEM opportunities.

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