Back to the basics of flight
Cadets from Utah State University’s Air Force ROTC detachment 860, gave a presentation on the principles of flight to a class of sixth graders at Spring Creek Middle School in Providence Tuesday.
“We do it as a service to the community, to educate the kids, as well as get them excited about aviation, science and learning in general,” Cadet Alan Dennis, a freshman studying aerospace engineering, said. “To show the stuff you learn in school has application and can be interesting.”
The presentation was part of the USU Air Force ROTC’s Air Education Project.
According to an Air Education Project fact sheet, the program, which is completely run by students, was started during fall semester 2004 and has been presented to more than 550 students at the elementary, middle and high school level, in 23 schools around the valley.
“It’s helped get the kids interested in math and science,” said Cadet Nathan Wheeler, a sophomore studying aeronautical engineering.
According to the fact sheet, the USU Air Force ROTC detachment has a goal to get all 144 detachments across the nation to begin a similar program.
In order to make the program run smoothly, 136 hours were used last semester to train the cadets involved in the presentation.
The fact sheet pointed out that the program is also useful in teaching the cadets the science of flight and is strictly used for aerospace education and community service.
During the presentation, the cadets used a hands-on approach as they discussed various aviation-related topics, which included Newton’s Third Law, the physics of flight and some of the history of aviation.
The children were laughing as they participated in the interactive presentation, which involved some physical demonstrations and object lessons in order to illustrate some of the points being discussed.
After the presentation, the children were given an oral quiz to see what they had learned.
They were able to answer many of the questions asked by the cadets.
They recited back to the cadets such things as the four forces of flight and the equal and opposite reaction of Newton’s Third Law.
When the children finished with the quiz, they all went outside, where the cadets flew around a radio controlled airplane in order to demonstrate some of the principles they had discussed.
“The students were so excited to have them come,” Nina Darley, the teacher of the class, said.
The sixth graders had been reading a book about World War II and discussing how important airplanes were to the war effort.
They figured they could tie the cadets’ presentation in with some of the discussions they had in class concerning the book, Darley said.
The Air Force ROTC is an educational program designed to provide college students with the opportunity to become Air Force commissioned officers while completing requirements for an undergraduate or graduate degree.
– jason.givens@usu.edu
Cadet Reggie Cavalier (left) points to the ailerons on a model plane held by Cadet Chris Lundin. The USU Air Force ROTC taught a sixth grade class at Spring Creek Middle School.