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Texas Wing Members Share Aviation Lessons with Students
A pair of Texas Wing members stepped up to share aviation-related lessons during an elementary school-hosted flight academy conducted for students as a summer activity.
Lt. Col. Jed Taylor and Senior Member Will Holloway, who belong to the Abilene Composite Squadron, participated at the invitation of Dana Elmore, a Civil Air Patrol aerospace education member who’s director of blended learning for the Roscoe Independent School District.
Roscoe Elementary School students explored a variety of aspects of aviation during the three-week activity, ranging from theory to practical applications and potential careers.
When students entered the school’s gym for Taylor and Holloway’s presentation, they encountered a remote-controlled airplane and a runway outline taped onto the gym floor. The two Texas Wing members provided a lesson on the four forces of flight – lift, thrust, gravity and drag.
After using the remote-controlled plane to explore aircraft, the students were instructed in folding paper airplanes. After figuring out how to modify their designs and achieve different flight characteristics, they competed in flight length, elevation and speed, making adjustments along the way.
The session concluded with an introduction to controlled air space as the students took turns attempting to land. They had to line up for “final approach” and ask Taylor, acting as air traffic controller, for permission to land once the runway was clear and safe.
“Teaching the next generation about aerospace is one of the most important things we can do,” said Taylor, the Abilene squadron’s commander. “Seeing the faces on these children light up as they start understanding the things you are saying is one of the best feelings you can get.”
Elmore’s comments echoed Taylor’s: “It was wonderful to see so much enthusiasm and to see teachers and students both having fun and learning lots.”
