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What have we learned about unpowered flight through this inquiry? We know that people have dreamt of flying for as long people have been able to look at the stars and dream of reaching them; as old as the first human, when in danger of attack, wished to spring into the air and fly like a bird to safety. We have learned of the contributions that Lilienthal, Alexander Graham Bell and the Wright Brothers made to satisfy this dream of flying. Websites that give details of these contributions can be found on our Website Flight list. Our specific area of interest started with watching the seagulls soaring effortlessly in the air. How did they do that without flapping their wings? What kept them up in the air when they appeared not to be moving? These observations led us to question how humans managed unpowered flight. What about gliders and hang-gliders? What is it that allows kites of all shapes and sizes to rise in the air and then to stay there without power? Again, we found a lot of articles on many different aspects of gliders in the Application of Science Technology reference section of a library and have listed thes sources under CD Rom on this website. Websites on hang-gliding and kite flying can be found on the Website Flight page. We are not experts on the principles of flight and certainly still have as many questions as we found answers but we now know that we could develop an interdisciplinary unit on this topic that would interest any grade level. There are some very big questions about flight that students could investigate which would have them working in all aspects of the curriculum in such a way that they wouldn't even know they were doing it. One such question might be "How is a kite like a bird?" Another might be "How does a hang-glider get aloft and stay aloft?" Both of these questions would lead the students into discovering the forces affecting flight (lift, gravity, thrust and drag); the effects of air pressure, angle of attack, equilibrium, and airfoils. A project of this kind would involve reading, writing, math, research, and of course an oral presentation of the findings. |