I went down to White Mountain to visit Nationview Public School. What a great time that was!
Model planes are fun for the leaders as well as youth. I find that the leaders often help with the workshop but also make their own plane.
After you get through building it’s helpful to give the kids some flight coaching before they go outside. You still have their attention. It takes a bit of time for all the kids to get the message. Expect them to be very excited so you need to be patient. If you change setting it’s harder to make sure all the kids don’t make certain common mistakes.
Also, the planes will not break from flying. They are designed to tolerate strikes to the wall and ceiling and so forth.
Common issues:
-Not winding
-Winding backwards
-Throwing instead of a gentle push
-Not holding under wing (otherwise finger interference)
-Not pick up by propeller/nose (loss of winding, damage)
Louise Pritchard and Cath Clouthier of Pakenham Public School organized a model aviation workshop. We had a lot of fun with over 40 people in a workshop in the gym.
They also arranged to have extra kits and elastic bands for children who want another plane. Which wouldn’t surprise me since many of the planes went on the roof. Including one of mine. 🙂
The Squirrel is a great inexpensive alternative for the Science Olympiad.
The squirrels performed very well at the Delta College Science Olympiad yesterday. Where it not for the walls in the very small gymnasium they placed us in, 30 – 40 second flights would have been the norm! Our flights met untimely interuptions while planes were still on the climb – exterior walls, basketball goals and divider curtains on virtually every flight. My stepson, Eric Jackson and his teammate both medaled for their efforts. We’re lobbying for a bigger venue next year so we can show what these planes can really do! Video didn’t turn out too well, however, I am including a couple of still pictures. Thanks so much for your fantastic design. We’ll be working hard to perfect our flying technique!
Response from Darcy: Wow! Thanks for the great pictures! By the way, you can make your Squirrel turn in a circle by adding an aileron: tips
