Exploratorium
Exploratorium: Roto Copter
Students can experiment with a home-made helicopter that lets them change the blades to see how real aerodynamics work.
Library of Congress
Loc: Full of Hot Air
Did you know that the hot-air balloon is the oldest form of successful human flight? Briefly described is the history and construction of hot-air balloons. Follow the link to "images of hot-air balloons and balloon racing" to view...
PBS
Pbs Learning Media: Bird in Flight
Students are asked to explain the characteristics of the bird in flight and how adaptations would allow the bird to fly a particular way. [0:32]
US Department of Labor
Bureau of Labor Statistics: Flight Attendant: Overview
The job profile of a Flight Attendant, including information on the nature of the work, working conditions, qualifications, and earnings.
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Designing Fast and Slow Airplanes and Measuring Velocity
In this activity, young scholars design their own airplanes and fly them. The challenge is to create a fast plane and a slow plane and compare the speed to the design.
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Design, Build and Test Hot Air Balloon
Students design, build, and then test hot air balloon designs. The activity concludes with flight testing the balloons and then a review of the design features of all balloons for the most advantageous design features.
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Investigating Flight With Paper Airplanes
Students will experiment with different styles of paper airplanes, create questions to test, and design experiments that will allow them to gather data related to their question. They will record their data, using graphs where...
Polk Brothers Foundation Center for Urban Education at DePaul University
De Paul University: Center for Urban Education: Flying [Pdf]
"Flying" is a one page, realistic fiction, reading passage about someone set a goal to be a pilot and worked hard to accomplish that goal. It is followed by constructed-response questions which require students to provide evidence from...
NPR: National Public Radio
Npr: Evolution of Military Aviation
An interactive timeline lets you see examples of military aircraft that have evolved since the first flight of the Wright brothers. Links at the bottom of the page lead to articles about fighter pilots.
PBS
Pbs: Wgbh: Nova: The Colditz Glider: Airfoil Aerodynamics
Examine what science lies behind keeping flying machines in the air. The wings angles, shape and placement, speed and what else must be considered in the development of device?
Other
Aviation Internet Group: Aviation Theory
Collection of articles ranging from basic to advanced on aerodynamics theory.
Other
Open University: First Flight: The Wright Brothers
A look at what the Wright Brothers accomplished. Includes information on the scientific experiments that they conducted, and the 1903 flyer they built to protect themselves from injury as they both learned how to fly.
University of Chicago
Flights Before the Wrights: Octave Chanute, Chicago
A site that chronicles the life of Octave Chanute, an aeronautical engineer involved in flight before the Wright brothers.
University of Chicago
Flights Before the Wrights: Octave Chanute, Chicago
A site that chronicles the life of Octave Chanute, an aeronautical engineer involved in flight before the Wright brothers.
Other
Ken Blackburn: Paper Airplanes
Information on paper airplane designs, history, and contests. Click on "Paper Airplane Aerodynamics" for an analysis of the world record holding paper airplane design.
The Franklin Institute
Franklin Institute and Science Museum: First Flight
Experience the first flight, through words, pictures, and actual quotes from the Wright Brothers about their real life experiences prior to, during, and after the successful flight.
The Franklin Institute
Franklin Institute: Flights of Inspiration
Franklin Institute site showcases the first flight taken by the Wright brothers. Follows the Wright brothers plan to achieve first flight as they used their failures to win them success in aviation.
Center of Science and Industry
Cosi Columbus: Catapult
Science experiment that demonstrates how energy is transferred. Includes full list of materials, procedures, and scientific explanation of how the tension in the catapult causes an object to travel far.
Other
National Science Digital Library: Smile: Make and Fly a Helicopter
Sourced by Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry, students and educators will engage in building a helicopter and making it fly. Adaptations of extra weight or shortening blades will alter flight abilities making for an exciting...
Famous Scientists
Famous Scientists: Alberto Santos Dumont
Read about Brazilian aviation pioneer, Alberto Santos-Dumont, who designed, built, and flew hot air balloons, and was famous for his flight that rounded the Eiffel Tower.
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: Windy Tunnel
The purpose of this activity is to demonstrate Bernoulli's Principle as it relates to winged flight. The students will use computers to see the influence of camber and airfoil angle of attack on the lift.
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: Heads Up
The purpose of this activity is to demonstrate some of the different parts of an airplane through the construction of a paper airplane. Students will build several different kinds of paper airplanes in order to figure out what makes an...
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: Balsa Glider Competition
The purpose of this activity is to bring together the students' knowledge of engineering and airplanes and the creation of a glider model to determine how each modification affects the flight. The students will use a design procedure...
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: Design a Flying Machine
The purpose of this activity is for the students to draw a design for their own flying machine. They will apply their knowledge of aircraft design and the forces acting on them. The students will start with a brainstorming activity where...