Aviation Adventures Teacher Resources

AVIATION ADVENTURES TEACHER RESOURCES Funding is provided by the Office of Naval Research. Subject matter expertise and curriculum support is provided by the Naval Air Warfare Center/Training Systems Division.Technology and curriculum is designed in partnership with TEQGames

ONR Aviation Adventures Virtual Field Trip 6-8 Title: Program: Grade Level: Duration: Objective:

Glider Engineering Design Challenge Aviation Adventures 6-8 45-60 minutes Students will learn about the forces involved in flight and apply this knowledge as they build a functional model glider.

Materials per pair of students: • 2 Glider template • 5 foam plates • 5 paper plates • 3 sheets of cardstock • 1 tape measure • 2 ft of masking tape • 8 paper clips • 5 washers • 2 pencils • 2 pairs of scissors • 2 worksheets Background: • What is a glider? A glider is a fixed-wing aircraft that is supported in flight by the force of air against its lifting surfaces, and whose free flight does not depend upon an engine.

• What is a force that will act on your glider? Many forces act on aircraft in flight, but we’re only going to focus on four today: o Lift: an upward force that is created by the effect of airflow over and under the wing.

The difference in air pressure above and below the wing causes a net upward force on the aircraft. o Weight: the force of gravity attracting an object to Earth. o Thrust: a forward force that propels that aircraft through the air. Usually this is provided by an engine system. o Drag: the resistance of the atmosphere relative to the motion of the aircraft. It opposes thrust and limits airspeed. This is a form of friction.

• How do gliders move? The glider will have two types of control surfaces that you can adjust in order to alter its flight path: ailerons on the wings and a rudder on the tail. o Ailerons are horizontal flaps in the middle of either wing. If they are moved in opposite directions, they can cause the glider to bank or roll to its side. If they are moved in the same direction, they can cause the glider to climb or descend at a steeper angle than it would otherwise. o The rudder is a vertical flap in the tail that can move from side to side. If the rudder is turned, air will push on it and steer the glider to the side.

ONR Aviation Adventures Virtual Field Trip 6-8 •

Speed: Distance traveled (m) / Travel time (s)

Prep: • Create a runway on a clear area using masking tape and measuring tape to mark every 50 cm until 3 meters or 300 cm.

• Set out one set of materials on the demo table to act as a visual aid when showing students their options for materials.

• Print one template on cardstock and cut it out. Use one paper plate and a Styrofoam plate, trace the template on each, and cut them out.

• Set out pieces of pre-built glider that you will assemble in real time in the demo: o Glider template o 2 wings pieces and 2 tale pieces cut-out from each type of plate o Penny o Tape • NOTE: Students can work in pairs or individually.

Engage: We are doing a STEM engineering design challenge to explore aviation and flight. We’ll go over some background science knowledge that will help you succeed at this challenge. Your goal today is to design and create a functional model glider. The glider is considered successful if it meets these criteria: The glider needs to glide at least 3 meters (300 cm) before touching the ground; the glider should travel and land in one piece, and you must determine the average speed of your glider.

Have a short discussion about engineering. Use the following questions: • What is an engineer? o Engineers are people the use their knowledge in math and science to design, create and improve technology.

• What is technology? o Anything human made that solve a problem or fulfill a desire.

• Mention something that you think its technology. o Students may say: computers, TVs, cars, planes, robots… Tables, chairs, markers, shoes, and others are also technology.

• Have you used the Engineering Design Process before? What is the EDP? o (Pause and take answers - Possible answers may include time to design and build, what materials do we have, why are we using an egg.)

Explain the Engineering Design Process to your students and let them know that these are the steps that they will be using to create their model glider.

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Define a GOAL for the design and ASK questions to establish design criteria.

ONR Aviation Adventures Virtual Field Trip 6-8

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o What is the problem? o What have others done?

IMAGINE at least two possibilities for design. o What could be some solutions? o Brainstorm ideas.

PLAN the design before building. o Draw a diagram. o Make a list of the materials needed.

CREATE at least one design solution. o Follow the plan and create it. o Test it out!

IMPROVE the design based on evidence around the original design criteria. o Make the design better. o Test it out!

ACTIVITY (30 min) Remind students of the goal: Design and create a functional model glider that glides at least 3 meters (300 cm) before touching the ground; the glider should travel and land in one piece, and you must determine the average speed of your glider.

Students will use the glider template as a base for their design. They can change the glider wings and structure but they need to keep the ailerons and rudder.

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IMAGINE: You will now have 2 minutes to imagine individually a design for your glider and draw 2 ideas. Your design should include the ailerons and rudder.

PLAN: Now share your ideas with your partner. You can combine aspects of several different ideas into one Plan. Make sure your plan meets the requirements of the goal. o In this step, students should select what materials they will use to build the glider. o Once they have shared their designs with the class, the teacher can give away the materials the students selected to build with.

CREATE: You will have 10 minutes to build your glider. (Start time. Give regular time updates to teams so they can use their time appropriately.)

Test 1: After 10 minutes, call groups together to test their designs. o select random students to share and explain their designs.

▪ Describe your glider design.

▪ What materials did you choose? Why did you choose those materials? o Let’s review the testing procedure:

ONR Aviation Adventures Virtual Field Trip 6-8 Stand at one end of the runway you taped down earlier.

Make any last-minute adjustments to your ailerons and rudder to help the glider fly as far as possible.

▪ Gently throw the glider forward with one hand. Start your timer with the other.

▪ Stop the timer as soon as the glider touches the ground. Record the flight time on your worksheet.

▪ Measure the distance from the starting location to the glider, using the markings on your runway as a guide.

▪ Show students how to calculate their glider’s speed by dividing the distance traveled by travel time: Distance traveled (m) / Travel time (s) o NOTE: While testing it is important to watch the glider carefully and take mental notes on its flight path; thinking about what changes should be made to improve the distance covered by our glider and how drag may be affecting our design. o Record your glider’s speed on your worksheet.

▪ Ask students: How fast did your glider travel? What they think was successful about their design? What can you improve?

IMPROVE: Give groups 8 minutes to improve their design. They must first draw their improved design on their worksheet and then make changes according to their new design.

They can get extra building materials if they are available.

Test 2: After 8 minutes, tell groups to stop building and that it is time to test the gliders. o Before testing, have students share their improved gliders with the class.

▪ How did you ‘Improve’ your package design? o Follow the same test procedures done previously. Have students answer the following questions after the test.

▪ Were your improvements successful? How do you know?

▪ What parts of your design worked well? How do you know?

▪ What parts of your design did not work well? How do you know?

▪ What would you do to improve this design? o Make sure that all the teams shared.

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NOTE: If short on time, let students create, test and improve for 15 minutes and have a group test at the end of the session.

Wrap-Up (5 minutes) After all tests, discuss with the class the following questions: • • • •

How did your glider perform?

What was successful about your glider’s design?

How did the shapes used in your designs affect their flight path? What about how you changed the ailerons and rudder?

What was your glider’s best average speed?

ONR Aviation Adventures Virtual Field Trip 6-8

Science Standards SC.6.P.13.1: Investigate and describe types of forces including contact forces and forces acting at a distance, such as electrical, magnetic, and gravitational.

SC.6.P13.2: Explore the Law of Gravity by recognizing that every object exerts gravitational force on every other object and that the force depends on how much mass the objects have and how far apart they are.

SC.6.P13.3: Investigate and describe that an unbalanced force acting on an object changes its speed, or direction of motion, or both.

SC.6.N.1.1: Define a problem from the sixth grade curriculum, use appropriate reference materials to support scientific understanding, plan and carry out scientific investigation of various types, such as systematic observations or experiments, identify variables, collect and organize data, interpret data in charts, tables, and graphics, analyze information, make predictions, and defend conclusions.

SC.6.N.1.4: Discuss, compare, and negotiate methods used, results obtained, and explanations among groups of students conducting the same investigation.

SC.7.P.11.2: Investigate and describe the transformation of energy from one form to another.

SC.7.N.1.1: Define a problem from the seventh grade curriculum using appropriate reference materials to support scientific understanding, plan and carry out scientific investigations of various types, such as systematic observations or experiments, identify variables, collect and organize data, interpret data in charts, tables, and graphics, analyze information, make predictions, and defend conclusions.

SC.8.N.1.1: Define a problem from the eighth grade curriculum using appropriate reference materials to support scientific understanding, plan and carry out scientific investigations of various types, such as systematic observations or experiments, identify variables, collect and organize data, interpret data in charts, tables, and graphics, analyze information, make predictions, and defend conclusions.

SC.68.CS-CS.1.3: Evaluate what kinds of real-world problems can be solved using modeling and simulation.

SC.68.CS-CS.2.2: Solve real-life issues in science and engineering (i.e., generalize a solution to open-ended problems) using computational thinking skills.

ONR Aviation Adventures Virtual Field Trip 6-8

Aviation Adventures - Drones Offsite Grade Level: 6-12

Title: Drones Challenge Program: Aviation Adventures Grade Level: 6-12 Duration: 90 minutes or multiple days Objective: Students will explore how drones work by operating them to complete a task.

They will learn about aviation principles and how these principles apply to drones and their application to real-world problems.

Materials: • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Tello Edu Drones Tello Flight Batteries Battery Charging Hub Controllers iPads for drones (black and orange Tello App installed) Laptops for mini missions (use Chrome) Stopwatch Table Obstacles course (Ex. Hula-hoops) Drone cage with nets and floor mats Extension cords and power strip Extra propellers and hulls Safety gear (lab coat, goggles, etc.)

If you don’t have a drone cage with nets, select a space where it will be safe to fly at least 2 drones. Verify with your school administration if there are any safety and insurance restrictions.

Background: A drone is an unmanned aerial vehicle or UAV. This is an aircraft that does not have a human pilot on board. Drones operate with various degrees of autonomy, either they are under remote control by human operator, or they are being controlled by an onboard computer.

Drones are used to perform a variety of tasks. Currently, drones are used in the following ways: • •

Military: used for missions where it is often safer for an unmanned aircraft to travel, often for surveillance. This way they don’t risk losing soldiers.

Construction: drones can be used to map out construction sites for contractors and can be used to monitor if repairs may be needed. For example, drones can be

Aviation Adventures - Drones Offsite Grade Level: 6-12

• • •

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used to map out a roof that needs to be repaired to size and will locate any places on the roof that need repairs.

Agriculture: drones allow farmers to monitor crops more frequently. Drones can monitor for disease, seeding, and help with surveying.

Photography/Cinematography: drones are often used now to record aerial shots or photos/film that may be physically difficult to record.

Ecology: Unmanned aerial vehicles allow researchers to collect huge volumes of biological data cheaply, easily, and at higher resolution than ever before. (https://www.the-scientist.com/notebook/drones-are-changing-the-face-of-ecology64527) Transit: many companies are looking at drones to use as means of safer transportation.

Shipping: Mail carriers and large companies like DHL, Amazon, and UPS are looking at drones to assist with package delivery currently.

Other: Real Estate Sales Videos, Stockpile Measurement, Crime Scene Mapping, Search & Rescue, Natural Disaster Response, Insurance Claims Adjusting & Infrastructure Inspections (Pipelines, Bridges, Railroads, Utility Towers)

To pilot a drone for any of these tasks, you need training and to have a license.

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If you’re looking to fly a drone for any non-recreational purpose, you must get a Remote Pilot Certificate from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

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In order to fly your drone under the FAA's Small UAS Rule (Part 107), you must obtain a Remote Pilot Certificate from the FAA. This certificate demonstrates that you understand the regulations, operating requirements, and procedures for safely flying drones.

You need to learn about: drone rules and FAA regulations; reading specialized charts; drone flight, night and airport operations, weather and micrometeorology. Then you take a test...

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Aviation Adventures - Drones Offsite Grade Level: 6-12

There are other professions related to drones including different types of engineering and computer sciences. You can find undergraduate and graduate degrees in Unmanned Aerial Systems. If you decide to do this, some of the classes you'll need to take are calculus, physics, aircraft science and aviation business, design thinking in technology, remote sensing, and others.

Either way, you’ll need to use different STEM skills.

How do drones fly: • •

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The Tello EDU drones are quadcopters, meaning they utilize four different rotors that move very fast in order to resist gravity and lift the drone off the floor.

When the drone’s propellers are moving, each one is responsible for allowing the drone to turn and move while in the air. Point to the graphic. Each rotor is connected to an individual motor that allows them to move at different speeds. Each diagonal pair rotates the same. Rotors 1 and 4 rotate clockwise, while rotors 2 and 3 rotate counterclockwise.

The opposite rotations help the drone to balance and keep it steady in the air. While using the drone, the speed at which the rotors are spinning will determine which direction the drone will move.

There are 4 directional movements that the drone can make that we will go over. o Roll is the rotation of the drone to bend left or bend right.

▪ In order to roll to the left propellers 1 and 3 run at normal speed while propellers 2 and 4 run at high speed. To roll to the right, propellers 1 and 3 instead run at high speed and propellers 2 and 4 run at normal speed. o Pitch refers to the movement of the drone up and down along the vertical axis and describes the forward and backward movement of a drone.

▪ To move forward, propellers 1 and 2 move at normal speed, while propellers 3 and 4 move at high speed. To move backward, propellers 1 and 2 run at high speed while propellers 3 and 4 run at normal speed. o Yaw is the clockwise or counterclockwise spin of a drone.

▪ In order for the drone to employ yaw to rotate left, the number 1 and 4 propellers move at normal speed, while the number 2 and 3 propellers

Aviation Adventures - Drones Offsite Grade Level: 6-12

move at high speed. To rotate right, propellers 1 and 4 move at high speed and propellers 2 and 3 move at normal speed. o Uplift/downfall are the acts of moving the drone up and down, raising or declining elevation.

▪ To rise, all propellers move at high speed and to descend, all propellers move at normal speed.

All aircraft experience several forces while taking flight. The ones that affect the drones are as follows. o Lift: This force causes it to lift from the ground. Occurs when the motors start spinning and push air downward. o Weight: The force of gravity attracting an object to Earth. This force pushes down as a reaction to lift.

Different from mass. o Drag: The resistance of the atmosphere relative to the motion of the aircraft. Opposes thrust. This is a form of friction. This pulls on the drone as it moves through the air. o Thrust: A forward force that propels an aircraft through the air. This occurs when the drone moves in any direction through the air.

Prep: 1.

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Gather all materials listed above.

Charge the batteries and test the drones to ensure they are working properly.

Check that the drones are already paired to their respective controller and iPad. Set up the space you will be using to fly the drones. This should be a spacious area, where the drones won’t be in close contact with students for safety issues. a. Check with your school administration for insurance specifications.

Drones Setup (for Tello EDU drones) Before placing the battery, check the WIFI name of the drone.

Place a charged battery in the drone and turn it on.

Open the settings on the iPad and look for the Tello WIFI’s name and connect it.

Open the black Tello app and if the drone is connected you should be able to see through its camera.

5. Turn on the controller and go to the Tello app setting to connect it to the drone.

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4.

Aviation Adventures - Drones Offsite Grade Level: 6-12

Engage:

a. Select connect controller and you should see the name of the controller. The controller's name is the last 4 digits or letters on the label on the iPod holder, all the way to the bottom right, under the QR code. b. Once you select the controller’s name, it will read “Connected”.

Today, we will be working as teams of drone pilots and go through an obstacle course in less than 2 minutes.

What do you know about aviation technologies? Can you name any? Limit your responses to two or three.

Explain: A drone is an unmanned aerial vehicle or UAV. This is an aircraft that does not have a human pilot on board. Drones operate with various degrees of autonomy, either they are under remote control by human operator, or they are being controlled by an onboard computer.

Before you can start flying drones with your partner, we need to go over some information that will help you reach your goal.

Use the background information to have a short discussion with your students. Guided questions: • • • •

How do we use drones?

How do drones work?

How do drones move?

What 4 forces act on aircrafts?

Now that we have gone over information about drones necessary to reach your goal, do you have any other questions about how drones work? Take some answers.

ACTIVITY (50-60 minutes) Today's challenge has 2 parts: Aviation Missions and Drone Challenges: Fly It and Code It. Both activities will be running simultaneously. While there are students flying the drones, the rest of the students will be working on the Aviation Missions.

Aviation Missions 1. There are 4 aviation missions, and each student will get an iPad or laptop to play them individually. The games can be played without facilitation and will prompt students with directions.

2. First, open Google Chrome and type this link: www.osc.org/Aviation-Adventures/ 3. Touch LAUNCH to start the games.

4. Follow Pal and read the instructions to enter each game. You will need to read carefully to understand what will happen next.

5. Each game comes with important information related to aviation science and history.

Aviation Adventures - Drones Offsite Grade Level: 6-12

6. Once you're done, you can go back and master your skills in each game. Encourage students to retry games and fully master their skills!

Drone Challenge Part 1: Fly It (20 minutes) In this intro to flying drones, students will work in pairs, as pilot and copilot. One student will start as a pilot while the other is the copilot and then you will switch.

1. Each team will have 2 minutes to go through as many obstacles as possible as a team.

Each team member will have one minute to fly. For each run, your score will be based on the total of obstacles you went through. Example: Student 1 went through 3 obstacles and student 2 through 5, the total for this run is 8 obstacles.

2. The pilot will stay in a specific location next to the drone cage and the copilot will move around the cage giving directions to the pilot.

3. To switch from pilot to copilot, you’ll get 15 seconds.

4. The instructors will be timing each team.

5. Once all the teams have one run through the obstacle course, we will pause to discuss this first experience and how we could improve for the second run. For this second run, the goal is to beat the number of obstacles from the first run. Review some of the information on how drones work if necessary.

6. You have some constraints. If you crash or bump into any object or the cage during the flight 2 times, your flight time is over, and you need to pass the controller to your partner. If your partner crashes or bumps into any object or cage, your run is over.

Remember, as part of the challenge you cannot crash or bump into any object.

7. If this is your first time flying a drone, don’t worry, you will have many opportunities to keep practicing your flying skills. There will be 3-5 runs depending on the time available.

Part 2: Code It (20 minutes) In this intro to coding drones, you will work in pairs with the same partner as before. You will be controlling drones by creating a program for them.

Tello DRONES 1. After the drone is connected to the black Tello app, open the orange Tello app and select the puzzle piece to open the block coding workspace.

2. To create your program, you will drag and drop the blocks on the left side of the screen to the Press to Play block that is currently in the workspace.

3. Each color block has a different purpose. The most important ones to remember are blue, yellow and red. These are under 3 categories. a. Blue blocks are under “Motion”. These blocks allow the drone to move in the different directions we discussed before. They allow the drones to yaw, roll and pitch. These will also allow you to have the drone take off and land.

Aviation Adventures - Drones Offsite Grade Level: 6-12

b. Yellow blocks are under the category of “Control”. These help to control how the program will run, and how to start and stop the program. c. Red blocks are under the category of “Light”. These will allow you to change the colors of the lights on the drone.

4. When you are ready to run your program to test it, ask the teacher to make sure your drone is connected. You need to wait until the drone is placed on the ground inside the safety fly area to press Tap to Start button that is in the top center of the screen.

5. Keep in mind while programming, that you may need to adjust or debug your program.

This means you may need to fix your program to adjust based on the fact that the drone’s computer needs to be given very specific instructions. If the instructions in your program are not specific enough, the program may not be successful.

6. Give students around 20 minutes to work on this activity. After 10-15 minutes have passed, ask the class to stop coding and gather around the safety fly area. let them test each team's program. a. Check the connection on their iPad to make sure they are still connected to their drone. b. Ask the team to press the play button to run the program. c. Allow each team to test their program. d. Go over as a class where they could improve their program based on the goal (student’s drones should not crash and should make it the finish line). e. If students completed the goal the first time, have them code their drone to go through the obstacles on a different order they programmed the first time.

NOTE: For the coding activity, you can use a measuring tape to measure the space between obstacles. Or the students can guess distances by trial and error.

If there aren't any more questions about the activities, ask the students to pair up and seat next to their partner. Pass iPads to each student and ask them to type the link for the games. When you are ready for the students to start flying drones, call teams for their first flight. Once they have their first flight, they can go back to the games. After playing the games for 10-15 minutes, students can start coding their drones using the orange Tello App on the iPads.

WRAP-UP Use the following guided questions: 1.

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How did you feel flying the drones? What part was hard and what part was easier?

What forces affect the drone while it is in flight?

What did you learn about aviation playing the games?

What would you like to do using the drones if we had more time?

Are you interested in a career that uses drones?

Would you be interested in pursuing an aviation career?

Aviation Adventures - Drones Offsite Grade Level: 6-12

a. Some aviation careers: Pilot, co-pilot, Air Traffic Controller, Aircraft and Avionics Mechanic, Airport Manager, Transportation Security Screener, Airfield Operations Specialist, Aeronautical Engineer 7. If you were able to fly the drone once more, what would you change?

State Standards Science: •

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SC.6.P.13.2: Explore the Law of Gravity by recognizing that every object exerts gravitational force on every other object and that the force depends on how much mass the objects have and how far apart they are.

SC.6.P13.3: Investigate and describe that an unbalanced force acting on an object changes its speed, or direction of motion, or both.

SC.8.P.8.2: Differentiate between weight and mass recognizing that weight is the amount of gravitational pull on an object and is distinct from, though proportional to, mass.

SC.68.CS-CS.2.6: Create a program that implements an algorithm to achieve a given goal, individually and collaboratively.

SC.68.CS-CS.2.8: Recognize that boundaries need to be taken into account for an algorithm to produce correct results.

SC.68.CS-CS.2.10: Recognize that more than one algorithm can solve a given problem.

SC.68.CS-CS.2.13: Explore a problem domain using iterative development and debugging.

SC.68.CS-CS.6.2: Describe how humans and machines interact to accomplish tasks that cannot be accomplished by either alone.

SC.68.CS-CP.2.3: Develop problem solutions using a block programming language, including all of the following: looping behavior, conditional statements, expressions, variables, and functions.

Aviation Adventures Literacy Connection

Pilot's Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge This invaluable learning tool begins with a basic introduction to flying and a history of flight, then explores the role of the FAA, criteria for earning the various pilot certificates, how to select a flight school and instructor, and the tests associated with earning a pilot certificate.

Flygirl by Sherri L. Smith All Ida Mae Jones wants to do is fly. Her daddy was a pilot, and years after his death she feels closest to him when she's in the air. But as a young black woman in 1940s Louisiana, she knows the sky is off limits to her, until America enters World War II, and the Army forms the WASP-Women Airforce Service Pilots.

Ferry Pilot: Nine Lives Over the North Atlantic by Kerry McCauley What could possibly go wrong? A LOT, if you spend 30 years flying small airplanes over the North Atlantic! Join Kerry McCauley in the cockpit as he battles a fuel system malfunction over the Atlantic, a total electrical failure at night over the Sahara, being struck by lightning off the coast of Portugal and losing his engine in a thunderstorm.

Conquering the Air: A Classic Illustrated History of Flight by Archibald Williams Revisit the romantic age of aeronautics when the rapid development of balloons, dirigibles and airplanes changed the world forever. This book will take you to an informative journey through the early days of air travel for readers of all ages in 1926, covering the earliest ascents in balloons through the Wright Brothers, trans-Atlantic flights.

Aviation Adventures Extension Lesson

Title: Package Drop Program: Aviation Adventures - Extension Lesson Grade: 1-2 Duration: 45 minutes Objective: Students will use their STEM skills to design a method of dispersing a “seed” (lima bean) by the wind.

Materials per pair of students: • 2 Empty water bottles • 5 sheets of copy paper • 1 rolls of Scotch tape • 3 feet of string • 10 Popsicle sticks • 1 Trash bags • 5 Pipe cleaners • 1 6x6 inches sheet of Cardboard • 10 Cotton balls • 1 pair of scissors • 2 Pencils • 1 Sharpie • 1 Ladder • 10-15 Farfalle pasta (bow pasta) • 1 Meter stick Prep 1. Create a materials table or make one bag for each group with the materials available.

2. Reserve a testing area in the classroom. Label it with a sign or mark the area using tape.

Background: Package engineering involves the design, development, and production of packages. Packages are all around us in the form of boxes, envelopes, food containers, and medicine bottles, just to name a few. Most people don’t take a lot of time to think about all of the engineering that goes into the packages we see around us every day.

There are seven main functions (or jobs) of packages that packaging engineers need to think about. These functions include: contain, communicate, carry, display, dispense, protect, and preserve. We will focus on the protective, display, and communication functions of packages as

Aviation Adventures Extension Lesson

they design an aid drop package. They will need to be sure that the supplies inside are not damaged (protect), the package is easy to see when it lands (display), and the package lets people know what is inside (communicate).

When people are cut off from essential supplies, sometimes the only way to quickly deliver food, water, medicine, and other necessities is through humanitarian airdrops. Aid drops are generally short-term projects, since dropping aid from the air can be more difficult to coordinate than delivering aid using trucks or person-to-person delivery. Aid drops can also be very expensive.

Aid drops have been used in Thailand to deliver aid to people living in areas isolated by flood waters during monsoon season. Aid drops have also been implemented in Afghanistan after the landslide in 2010, and in Haiti after the 2010 earthquake.

If package supplies are not properly protected, they can be damaged upon impact. If the people who need the supplies cannot easily find the aid drop packages, or are not certain that what is inside is safe and meant to help them, the supplies may go to waste.

ENGAGE (10 minutes) FEMA engineers need your help. They are planning a humanitarian mission after Hurricane Maria and they need a package to protect the payload during its descent to the surface. Your goal today is to be engineers that will design and create a prototype package that will protect pasta inside from breaking when dropped from a 5 ft height.

Have a short discussion about engineering. Use the following questions: • •

What is an engineer? Engineers are people the use their knowledge in math and science to design, create and improve technology.

What is technology? Anything human made that solve a problem or fulfill a desire. o Mention something that you think its technology. Students may say: computers, TVs, cars, planes, robots… Tables, chairs, markers, shoes, and others are also technology.

Aviation Adventures Extension Lesson

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Have you used the Engineering Design Process before? What is the EDP? (pause and take answers Possible answers may include time to design and build, what materials do we have, why are we using an egg.) o Define a GOAL for the design and ASK questions to establish design criteria.

▪ What is the problem?

▪ What have others done? o IMAGINE at least two possibilities for design.

▪ What could be some solutions?

▪ Brainstorm ideas. o PLAN the design before building.

▪ Draw a diagram.

▪ Make a list of the materials needed. o CREATE at least one design solution.

▪ Follow the plan and create it.

▪ Test it out! o IMPROVE the design based on evidence around the original design criteria.

▪ Make the design better.

▪ Test it out!

Before we start using the Engineering Design Process, let's start with the ASK step: What do you need to know in order to reach your goal? (Pause and take answers) What is a delivery package for a humanitarian mission?

• After some natural disasters, transportation and communications systems stop working and people are uncommunicated. Helicopters, gliders and even drones can be used to send food and first aid in payloads. Because of the conditions, they won’t be able to land, they drop the payload so people in need have access to their necessities.

What forces act on the payload that is going to be drop? (Pause and take answers) Gravitational Potential Energy! o Gravitational potential energy is the energy an object has because of its position in a gravitational field. Heavy objects hit the ground with more force than lighter ones as Newton’s 2nd Law (force = mass x acceleration) describes. o That enormous amount of potential energy is converted to kinetic energy when the payload is in motion. In order to land and deliver the payload to the surface, this kinetic energy must be safely transformed (energy cannot be created or destroyed.) Part of the kinetic energy needs to be transfer from the payload to

Aviation Adventures Extension Lesson

the parachute. But in order to bring a payload to a safe touchdown, an additional landing system is necessary to transform the remaining kinetic energy.

Why are we using uncooked pasta? o The uncooked pasta represents the payload with all of its fragile and expensive kits, food and beverage, etc. We need to protect supplies from any harm that would prevent the payload to be damage.

How are we going to test? o When it is time to test, one member of each team will stand on the front of the classroom. The student will hold their team’s package on one hand and stretch the arm above the head (around 5ft). When they are all ready, they will let go the package at the same time.

Now that you know the forces involved, you need to know the materials you have to complete the challenge and your budget. You will get a $500 budget to purchase materials. (Give each team a copy of the price list and go over it with them.)

Due to FEMA’s recent budget cuts, they want to purchase the prototype design that would cost the least so keep that in mind when planning.

ACTIVITY (30 minutes) Remind students of the goal: Design and create a prototype package that will protect 4 Farfalle pasta inside of it from breaking when dropped from a 5 ft. height.

For the purposes of this challenge: If the pasta breaks or cracks, you did not reach your goal.

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IMAGINE: You will now have 2 minutes to imagine individually a design for a package and draw 2 ideas. Your pasta needs to be place inside the package before being tested, remember to leave an opening for the pasta.

PLAN: Now share your ideas with your group and decide on one plan. You can combine aspects of several different ideas into one Plan for the group. Make sure your plan meets the requirements of the goal. o Give instructions on how to buy materials from instructor.

▪ ONE person per team with list in hand may come to buy materials.

▪ Return policy: only if materials have been UNUSED. ▪ Remind students not to spend all their money in the first trial and to keep some in case they need to buy more materials later.

▪ They may not use their tools as part of their package.

Aviation Adventures Extension Lesson

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CREATE: You will have 10 minutes to build your package device. (Start time. Give regular time updates to teams so they can use their time appropriately.)

Test 1: After 10 minutes, call groups together for test. o When you call up all the teams to test, have them only send one team member up for the test. o Ask the team member to share their package with the class.

▪ Describe your package design.

▪ What materials did you choose? Why did you choose those materials?

▪ How much money did you spend? o Ask the student to place 4 pieces of pasta inside the package and to hold in with one arm. Raise the arm above the head and let you know when ready. Drop the package to the ground. o After each test, ask the team the following questions: ▪ Was it successful? Did it meet the goal? Open the package carefully and check the pasta.

▪ What parts worked well? How do you know?

▪ Which parts didn’t work well? How do you know? o Make sure that all the teams shared. o After all tests, discuss with students which designs worked best and why. Discuss which designs were the least expensive. Which design would FEMA want to purchase? Why? IMPROVE: Give groups 8 minutes to improve their design. They must first draw their improved design on their worksheet and then make changes according to their new design. They can then go up to the Instructor table to make purchases.

Test 2: After 8 minutes, tell groups to stop building and that it is time to test the packages. o Before testing, have groups share their improved package with the class.

▪ How did you ‘Improve’ your package design? o Follow the same test procedures done previously. Have students answer the following questions after the test.

▪ Were your improvements successful? How do you know?

▪ What parts of your design worked well? How do you know?

▪ What parts did of your design did not work well? How do you know?

▪ What would you do to improve this design? o Make sure that all the teams shared.

NOTE: If short on time, let students create, test and improve for 15 minutes and have a group test at the end of the session.

Wrap-Up (5 minutes)

Aviation Adventures Extension Lesson

After all tests, discuss with the class the following questions: • • • •

How can we use our knowledge of gravitational potential energy, the Engineering Design Process, and our creativity to design packages for different types of payload?

Were you able to improve the package?

What was the easiest part of the challenge?

What was the hardest part of the challenge?

Standards: Science SC.6.N.1.1 Define a problem from the sixth-grade curriculum, use appropriate reference materials to support scientific understanding, plan and carry out scientific investigation of various types, such as systematic observations or experiments, identify variables, collect and organize data, interpret data in charts, tables, and graphics, analyze information, make predictions, and defend conclusions.

SC.6.N.1.2: Explain why scientific investigations should be replicable.

SC.6.N.1.3: Explain the difference between an experiment and other types of scientific investigation, and explain the relative benefits and limitations of each.

SC.6.N.1.4: Discuss, compare, and negotiate methods used, results obtained, and explanations among groups of students conducting the same investigation.

SC.6.N.1.5: Recognize that science involves creativity, not just in designing experiments, but also in creating explanations that fit evidence.

SC.6.P.11.1: Explore the Law of Conservation of Energy by differentiating between potential and kinetic energy. Identify situations where kinetic energy is transformed into potential energy and vice versa.

SC.6.P.13.2: Explore the Law of Gravity by recognizing that every object exerts gravitational force on every other object and that the force depends on how much mass the objects have and how far apart they are.

SC.6.P.13.3: Investigate and describe that an unbalanced force acting on an object changes its speed, or direction of motion, or both.

Aviation Adventures Extension Lesson

SC.7.N.1.1: Define a problem from the seventh grade curriculum, use appropriate reference materials to support scientific understanding, plan and carry out scientific investigation of various types, such as systematic observations or experiments, identify variables, collect and organize data, interpret data in charts, tables, and graphics, analyze information, make predictions, and defend conclusions.

SC.7.N.1.2: Differentiate replication (by others) from repetition (multiple trials).

SC.7.N.1.3: Distinguish between an experiment (which must involve the identification and control of variables) and other forms of scientific investigation and explain that not all scientific knowledge is derived from experimentation.

SC.7.N.1.5: Describe the methods used in the pursuit of a scientific explanation as seen in different fields of science such as biology, geology, and physics.

SC.7.N.3.2: Identify the benefits and limitations of the use of scientific models.

SC.7.P.11.2: Investigate and describe the transformation of energy from one form to another.

SC.8.N.1.1 Define a problem from the eighth-grade curriculum using appropriate reference materials to support scientific understanding, plan and carry out scientific investigations of various types, such as systematic observations or experiments, identify variables, collect and organize data, interpret data in charts, tables, and graphics, analyze information, make predictions, and defend conclusions.

SC.8.N.1.2: Design and conduct a study using repeated trials and replication.

SC.8.N.1.5: Analyze the methods used to develop a scientific explanation as seen in different fields of science.

SC.8.N.1.6: Understand that scientific investigations involve the collection of relevant empirical evidence, the use of logical reasoning, and the application of imagination in devising hypotheses, predictions, explanations and models to make sense of the collected evidence.

SC.8.N.3.1: Select models useful in relating the results of their own investigations.

Aviation Adventures Extension Lesson

Team name: _______________________________________

Goal: Design and create a prototype package that will protect payload inside from breaking when dropped from a 5 ft height.

Imagine: Take 1 minute to think individually about possible solutions.

Plan: Share your ideas with your team and combine them. Draw a design and list the materials you’ll use.

Test 1: Height: ________

Was your design successful? YES / NO, Why?

______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ Height: ________

Was your design successful? YES / NO, Why?

______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________

Aviation Adventures Extension Lesson

Improve: How can you improve your design? ___________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ Test 2: Height: ________

Was your design successful? YES / NO, Why?

______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ Height: ________

Was your design successful? YES / NO, Why?

______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________

Review: List the things that were successful and the things that can be improved in your design.

It was successful:

Can be improved:

Aviation Adventures Extension Lesson

Title: Stop Motion Animation Program: Aviation Adventures - Extension Lesson Grade: 1-2 Duration: 45 minutes Objective: Students will use the glider designed in the previous workshop to create a stop motion animation movie that explains the forces of flight and how their ailerons function.

Materials per student: • 1 smart phone or tablet (Apple or Android) • 1 glider • 1 sheet of poster board • 10 sheets of construction paper (assorted colors) • 1 pair of scissors • 10 Pom-poms or cotton balls • 5-10 Craft sticks • 5-10 Pipe cleaners • 5-10 Paper clips • 2 Binder clips • 10-20 Index cards • 1 roll of tape (Scotch or masking tape) • 1 set of coloring material (markers, color pencils or crayons) • 3 feet of string or yarn Background: Stop motion animation is a film making technique that makes inanimate objects appear to move on their own. To make it work, you place an object in front of a camera and snap a photo. Then, you move the object a tiny bit and snap another photo. Repeat this process twenty to ten thousand times, play back the sequence in rapid progression, and the object appears to move fluidly across the screen.

A glider is a fixed-wing aircraft that is supported in flight by the force of air against its lifting surfaces, and whose free flight does not depend upon an engine.

Many forces act on aircraft in flight, but we’re only going to focus on four today:

Aviation Adventures Extension Lesson

1. Lift: an upward force that is created by the effect of airflow over and under the wing.

The difference in air pressure above and below the wing causes a net upward force on the aircraft.

2. Weight: the force of gravity attracting an object to Earth.

3. Thrust: a forward force that propels that aircraft through the air. Usually this is provided by an engine system.

4. Drag: the resistance of the atmosphere relative to the motion of the aircraft. It opposes thrust and limits airspeed. This is a form of friction.

Airplanes have streamlined shapes. This means that they fly through the air with minimal drag, which means that it takes less energy to fly through the air.

Ailerons are horizontal flaps in the middle of either wing. If they are moved in opposite directions, they can cause the glider to bank or roll to its side. If they are moved in the same direction, they can cause the glider to climb or descend at a steeper angle than it would otherwise.

The rudder is a vertical flap in the tail that can move from side to side. If the rudder is turned, air will push on it and steer the glider to the side.

Prep 1. Charge tech. (iPads, tablets or smart phones) 2. Download Stikbot Studio 2.0 to the mobile devices.

3. Create a materials table or make one bag of materials for each student.

Engage (10 min) Today, we are going to use stop motion animation technology to recreate a simulation. You'll be utilizing your glider from the previous workshop.

Ask the students: • Do you know what stop motion animation is?

• How stop motion animation works?

Explain: Stop motion animation is a film making technique that makes inanimate objects appear to move on their own.

• Images are captured in a sequence and then played back in quick succession to create the illusion of movement over time.

• Stop motion makes use of a still-image camera to capture a single image at a time.

• The character movement is then made before the next photograph in the series is taken. The movement itself is never actually captured — just the result of it.

Aviation Adventures Extension Lesson

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Then, when the image sequence is viewed at a high enough frame rate, the experience of movement is achieved.

• Reference: https://blog.pond5.com/12735-stop-motion-animation-101-how-to-createthe-illusion-of-movement/ • Play the example.

Ask students to explain how it works in their own words to make sure they understood. Then explain: • To make it work, you place an object in front of a camera and snap a photo. You then move the object a tiny bit and snap another photo. Repeat this process twenty to ten thousand times, play back the sequence in rapid progression, and the object appears to move fluidly across the screen.

For this project, we will be using the Stikbot Studio 2.0 App in the iPads or your mobile devices to create the animation.

• You'll be working in pairs (or individually) and you’ll able to use one or both of the gliders you designed previously.

• You will discuss with your partner the story line for your animation. Remember, it needs to explain the forces of flight and how the ailerons work. You’ll need to combine your ideas to have one design.

• After you have agreed to the scenario and the materials needed, each group can raise their hand, show the plan to the teaching team and get the materials to start working.

Let's talk about how to use the Stikbot Studio 2.0 app (demonstrate): • Unblock the mobile device you will be using.

• Open the Stikbot Studio 2.0 app.

• Click on “Create Movie”.

• The camera will come up. On the top, you’ll see that for each second you will need 12 pictures.

• The camera will work the best if it’s stable on a secure position, instead of moving it around every time you take a picture. The objects are the ones being move.

• You can see the progress of your movie by clicking on the arrow to your right.

• Step by step to create a stop motion animation: Step 1: Choose your characters. For this animation, your main character is your glider.

Step 2: Set your camera and light your scene. Your camera will be the one from the iPad. It’s a good idea to set your camera in a fixed position to minimize the movement. o The goal is to have the camera angle remain consistent in each shot, while the character’s position changes from one frame to the next.

Step 3: Capture an image, reposition your characters, and repeat.

Aviation Adventures Extension Lesson

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o In order to achieve a smooth motion from one point to another, your character(s) should be repositioned by a consistent distance from frame to frame. o The further a character is moved between increments, the faster it will appear to move when played back. Likewise, if it travels a shorter distance between increments, it will appear to slow down. o In animation, the process of speeding up or slowing down is called ramping or cushioning.

Step 4: Play back the image sequence.

Clarify all the student's questions before starting the activity.

Activity (20 min) 1. Talk with your partner about your ideas for the scenario for the simulation. Then, make a design (your story) for the animation. Remember that the main characters are your gliders. a. Add the list of materials to your plan.

2. When your plan is approved by the teaching team, you can get the materials you need. a. Having your plan approved means this means that you can explain the scenario, what materials you will use and how you’ll create each movement. b. Remember to be considerate with the materials, every group will use them.

Share!

3. Find a spot in the classroom to start working on your project. Please use your communication and collaboration skills to solve any issue that you encounter.

4. Let's the students work for 20 minutes. The teaching team should walk around asking questions and helping with the tech.

5. Give times warnings.

6. When it’s 5 minutes to the end of the session, ask students to clean. Ask them to put all their materials together and name them. Please check the floor and tables.

Wrap-up (5-10 min) Have a brief discussion with the students where they can share their experience while creating the stop motion animation. Use the following guided questions: • Were you able to follow your story line or did you make changes in the process?

• What was easy about creating a stop motion animation? What was hard?

• If you had more time, what would you change about your animation?

• Would you use stop motion animation to explain other STEM topics?

Aviation Adventures Extension Lesson Storyboard 1.

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Storyboard 5.

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Aviation Adventures Science Connections

Aircraft Basic Science, Eighth Edition This textbook is a valuable resource for students of aviation technology that provides updated information needed to prepare for an FAA airframe and powerplant maintenance certification. This expanded edition includes recent advances in technology, such as the use of composite aircraft materials, with revised examples and figures to more accurately reflect the state of the industry.

Flight: The Complete History of Aviation Take a sky-high journey through the Wright brothers’ first powered flight, to Concorde’s final voyage, to the tragic crash of the Columbia, and more, in this stunning book packed with information on the history of aviation.

Helicopter Game Get ready for a true test of your helicopter flying abilities! Helicopters 2 is a fun and addicting helicopter flying game where you must skillfully navigate a little chopper through a series of tricky platform challenges.

Flight Simulation Game In Airplane Simulator Island Travel, it is your job to safely navigate across the globe by visiting lots of different islands. Experience the ultimate freedom as you take to the skies in this immersive flight simulator game. This is not easy as it is designed to replicate the challenges of the real world of flying an airplane!

Aerospace History Timeline Learn how today’s aerospace world evolved from the earliest dreams of flying to the 12second airplane flight that gave humanity its wings to a planet driven by aerospace and now venturing ever deeper into space.

Paper Survive Game Begin your dream of a career in the aviation industry here. Paper Survivor is a true flying extravaganza with lots of different challenges that you will need to pass! Get your paper plane ready for take-off!

Helicopter Rescue Simulation Are you ready to fly? You better be because Helicopter Rescue Operation 2020 is the ultimate helicopter challenge, and it is calling your name. Time to fly high and save some people!

Wings Over Indiana As special one-hour edition of the Emmy Award winning science series Indiana Expeditions, host Rick Crosslin travels across the state and to the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center in California, to look at Indiana's connections to the history and science of aviation.

Aviation Related Careers

Aviation related careers • Pilots: A pilot is trained to operate the aircraft. As part of their duties, they file flight plans, perform maintenance checks and ensure the craft is ready for departure. This includes checking the engine, the navigation equipment and the aircraft's systems to ensure everything is running properly.

• Co-pilots: known as the first officer, is trained and qualified to fly the plane in the event of an emergency or to provide the pilot with a break. The copilot assists the pilot during flight, including handling the radio communications, navigation, and working with the pilot to complete the many checklists involved with flying an aircraft.

• Flight engineers: Flight engineers are a part of the flight crew. They check systems before flight, help develop flight plans, and continue to perform checks while the aircraft is in flight. Their focus is to ensure that there are no mechanical concerns, and they monitor the engines, mechanical systems and fuel levels during the flight. They answer any question the captain has and document all checks they make. They also document any changes that are made during flight. Some flight engineers also serve as first officers.

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GzbkKEx0Wpw (U.S. Air Force Flight Engineer— The Human Computers Aboard Aircraft) • Air Traffic Controller: They manage the flow of aircraft into and out of the airport airspace, guide pilots during takeoff and landing, and monitor aircraft as they travel through the skies. Air traffic controllers use radar, computers, or visual references to monitor and direct the movement of the aircraft in the skies and ground traffic at airports.

Videos: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNcmuYrfhFQ (The FAA Is Recruiting Gamers For Air Traffic Control Jobs) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yg6UuuoU-UA&list=PLjZy4fJwp5HBJSNpNp8SldMo0jGd00Nd (U.S. Air Force: A Day in the Life of an Air Traffic Controller) •

Aircraft and Avionic Mechanics: Aircraft and avionics equipment mechanics and technicians repair and perform scheduled maintenance on aircraft. o Aircraft mechanics typically do the following: Diagnose mechanical or electrical problems; Repair wings, brakes, electrical systems, and other aircraft components; Replace defective parts, using hand tools or power tools; Examine replacement aircraft parts for defects; Read maintenance manuals to identify repair procedures; Test aircraft parts with gauges and other diagnostic equipment; Inspect completed work to ensure that it meets performance standards; Keep records of maintenance and repair work.

Aviation Related Careers

o Avionics technicians typically do the following: Test electronic instruments, using circuit testers, oscilloscopes, and voltmeters; Interpret flight test data to diagnose malfunctions and performance problems; Assemble components, such as electrical controls and junction boxes, and install software; Install instrument panels, using hand tools, power tools, and soldering irons; Repair or replace malfunctioning components; Keep records of maintenance and repair work Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NDDfkFRyehk&list=PLp_JBuwdyaY6_6sCZ79F6CScwiShRuiM&index=19 (Careers In Aviation - Airline Mechanic) •

The airport manager oversees all other employees and departments and manages the day-to-day operations as well as future airport planning. They may deal with many different issues, but they are primarily responsible for airport safety, regulations, and budget planning.

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5qM6kehhuWI (Inside SFO: Episode #24 – Airport Duty Managers) •

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Transportation Security Screener: Transportation security workers help ensure the safety and security of airline passengers by monitoring, inspecting and sometimes searching passengers and their bags. They check boarding passes and identification. They also identify and screen suspicious bags and confiscate prohibited items.

Airfield Operations Specialist: Ensure the safe takeoff and landing of commercial and military aircraft. Duties include coordination between air-traffic control and maintenance personnel, dispatching, using airfield landing and navigational aids, implementing airfield safety procedures, monitoring and maintaining flight records, and applying knowledge of weather information.

Aeronautical engineers work with aircraft. They are involved primarily in designing aircraft and propulsion systems and in studying the aerodynamic performance of aircraft and construction materials. They work with the theory, technology, and practice of flight within the Earth’s atmosphere.

Flight instructors train students to operate aircraft safely. They teach their students safety rules and the basic principles of flight and aircraft operation. Material they cover with their students includes flight conditions, instruments in the cockpit, landings, taking off and how to check all systems on the plane.

The Flight Attendant is responsible for ensuring the safety, security, and comfort of airline passengers. They provide customer service while creating a welcoming environment for passengers before, during, and at the conclusion of each flight.

Aeronautical Drafter: creates technical drawings used to build airplanes and parts for different aircrafts. The drawings are created using specific measurements, dimensions, directions and details that allow someone to use them as a guide.

Aviation Related Careers

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Aerospace engineers design primarily aircraft, spacecraft, satellites, and missiles. In addition, they create and test prototypes to make sure that they function according to design.

Aerospace Operation Technicians run and maintain equipment used to develop, test, produce, and sustain aircraft and spacecraft.

Aerospace Manufacturing and Assembly: It focuses on the fabrication, installment, or repairment of parts or components on aircraft. As an aerospace assembler, your responsibilities may focus on one group of elements or one section of the aircraft’s structure.

Aeronautical System Design: Aeronautical systems refer broadly to the systems within an air vehicle which are responsible for efficient and reliable operation. These include electrical, navigation, propulsion and hydraulic systems as well as flight controls.

The entire aircraft is controlled by systems, and challenges facing industry include ensuring they not only meet airworthiness requirements but also the environmental and economical aspirations for more green and efficient aircraft.

Drones: • Drone photographer and filmmaker: Drones are revolutionizing film and television, news, and real estate photography, providing endless new opportunities to capture high-quality photos and video from angles that would have been previously impossible, and at prices that also would have been previously impossible. o Movies and Film: From new camera angles to full-speed chase scenes, flights over water or in-between trees, the sky is the limit for cinematographers on film sets. o Real Estate Photography: Real estate agents are able to sell properties more effectively by utilizing drone photography and video, as aerial photography is quickly becoming the standard in effectively marketed real estate listings. o Wedding Photography: Drones allow videographers to capture sweeping footage from overhead, creating an extremely dramatic effect for wedding videos. o Advertising: Drones allow the capture of images or the display of ads that are currently costly or difficult to obtain. o News: Many news organizations use helicopters or planes which have higher costs and require people on-site to operate. Additionally, if a journalist is covering conflict or natural disaster, drones can remove people from that danger while still covering the story.

Aviation Related Careers

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Precision agriculture surveyor o Precision agriculture is a niche application of drone technology, which is precisely the reason why you should consider it. It’s quite advanced just because it requires a third-party accessory – a multispectral sensor. This is a sensor that can detect energies at different frequency bands, particularly in the near-infrared region. o The principle behind the use of multispectral sensors is that the data they collect can be used as indicators for crop health. More specifically, the presence of chlorophyll pigment in crops affects how much near-infrared energy they absorb and reflect. o By flying a drone equipped with a multispectral sensor over a farm and capturing geospatial data, a map of multispectral data can be generated. This map can then be used for crop health management. By identifying areas of the farm with lessthan-ideal health levels, farm owners can more efficiently allocate resources like irrigation, fertilizers, or pesticides.

Drone 3D modeler o Creating 3D maps and models using drones is a job with wide applications. Any industry that requires heavy construction such as mining, urban planning, and civil engineering can benefit from a 3D terrain model. A good, detailed model can help these companies plan how much excavation needs to be done, the slope and length of roads that need to be done, or the mitigating measures for identified geological hazards. o There are two major techniques for creating 3D models using drones. The simpler and more commonly practiced one is called photogrammetry, which is basically a method for generating 3D models using a series of overlapping aerial images. Its strength lies in its simplicity – all you need to have is a drone with a good camera and a special photogrammetry software platform. If you can get software that can also help you plan the scope of your survey and make a flight path for your drone, then you can make your life so much easier. o The one drawback of photogrammetry is that the accuracy and resolution of its generated models are often limited to a 1 to 2-meter range. If you need something more accurate, then you’ll have to use a Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) sensor. This type of sensor is much more expensive but can come up with models that have accuracy levels several orders of magnitude compared to those from photogrammetry. o In any case, taking a job as a drone 3D modeler or mapper is easily one of the most lucrative you can get as a professional drone pilot. The fact that there are so few pilots that can offer this service means that you can charge premium rates.

Aviation Related Careers

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Power line inspector o Power lines get damaged over time and require regular maintenance so they can remain in working condition. The challenge lies in having to inspect miles’ worth of power lines just to look for damaged sections, which can be very short.

Having to do this manually takes a long time, not to mention the hazard that power line inspection teams get exposed to if they have to work at heights. o Drones take this hazard away and can even do the job faster. Since power lines typically run through narrow corridors, drones can easily fly along them and cover several miles on just a single battery cycle. There’s also the matter of having to identify damaged sections – a problem solved by a special device called a thermal camera. o Thermal imaging relies on the infrared energy radiated by all objects. This infrared energy is stronger when objects emit heat. With this principle, the heat buildup due to disrupted current flow in damaged power lines can be easily identified. o By flying a drone equipped with a thermal camera to inspect power lines for damage, the work that would normally take a few weeks can be done in several hours. It’s also safer and logistically simpler – all you’ll need is a crew consisting of the drone operator, a visual observer, and possibly someone to drive a vehicle. This can be a very lucrative job for a drone pilot since it would be mostly utility companies who will request this type of service.

Rooftop inspector o A service that combines drone photography and 3D modeling, a drone rooftop inspection will prove to be useful to real estate agents, roof repair crews, solar panel installers, insurance adjusters, and homeowners. It’s easy to imagine how the appearance and condition of the roof plays a huge role in the value of any house, making this a high-demand application of drone technology. o It may seem surprising to some, but a job as a drone rooftop inspector can be one of the best opportunities for a drone pilot. Rooftop repair crews and solar panel installers typically have to check the condition of a roof and make numerous measurements before they can move in and do the actual work. In the event of a natural disaster, insurance adjusters have to check the condition of a roof to confirm the insurance claims of a policyholder. Even homeowners can request a quick inspection of their roof as part of regular maintenance. o The benefit of using a drone for these jobs is that it doesn’t expose anyone to the hazards of working in heights. It’s also logistically simpler – all you need is a good camera drone, instead of the ladders and other measuring devices that an old-fashioned inspection crew would have to deploy. o More than just taking photos, the best way to conduct a roof inspection would be to take advantage of the photogrammetry technique. This generates a 3D

Aviation Related Careers

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model of the roof which can be inspected and measured an infinite number of times. This is a great way to make sure that you don’t miss anything and that you will not need to do a repeat survey.

Search and rescue team member o Law enforcement agencies and emergency responders worldwide have taken to using drones to help augment their capabilities. For situations that require search and rescue, a drone is a perfect tool. It can cover a lot of ground quickly, provides a bird’s eye view of the search area, and can be deployed at a moment’s notice. o The same thermal camera that is used for inspection of industrial equipment and power lines can prove to be valuable in search and rescue operations. Unlike normal eyesight which can be obscured by darkness or vegetation, a thermal camera can identify high-temperature anomalies even at night or under a canopy cover. o Some drones can be outfitted with a spotlight and a speaker, which can be used to draw out lost people. In this regard, the drone acts like a “mobile spotlight, playing the same role that a helicopter would under different circumstances.

Flying a drone, of course, is simpler and a lot cheaper than flying a helicopter. o Law enforcement agencies would likely prefer to have an in-house drone pilot among their ranks, which will allow them to engage drone-aided search and rescue at a moment’s notice. Should your local law enforcement agency want an officer to act as a drone pilot, you may still offer your services to provide training to their department.

Drone flight instructor o Speaking of providing training, how about being a full-time drone flight instructor? For those with a knack for teaching and talking to people, this may sound like a very good idea. You may ask, however, if there’s a separate certification you need to earn before you can be a drone flight instructor. o The short answer is – no, there are currently no certification standards for those who want to teach drone flight. The only certification that the FAA grants is for those who want to teach manned airport flight. This is a point worth remembering, especially if you come across online courses or training institutions claiming that they are “certified” for drone flight instruction. o In place of this lack of certification, most organizations have set their own standards for drone flight instructors. For instance, one site that offers online courses may accept only those who have a manned pilot’s license. Others may require a minimum number of years of experience in drone flight, particularly in commercial operations.

Aviation Related Careers

o Experience, of course, is a given if you’re looking to become a drone flight instructor. Get those flight hours in and you may be good enough to teach other people in a few years.

To learn more about aviation careers visit https://www.avjobs.com/careers/ Additional Resources: • Federal aviation administration k-12 curriculum https://www.faa.gov/education/educators/curriculum/k12/ • Federal aviation administration students activities https://www.faa.gov/education/students/activities/ • Federal aviation administration history https://www.faa.gov/about/history/