In March we welcomed our Cohort 3 students back to Stafford for their next Academy sessions.
Armed with the Engineering Design Principles and knowledge that they have gained during previous Academy sessions, students were tasked with building a foam board glider which was required to meet the success criteria, including covering a distance of at least 30m and remaining intact on landing!
The Glide Path challenge requires more of our students than just building a simple paper aeroplane! Our students were challenged to utilise their knowledge of the forces of flight, airfoil characteristics (span, camber, aspect ratio etc) and aspect ratios to create a stable and sustained flight.
In teams, students collaborated to design a glider that they felt met all of the requirements whilst reflecting on their learning throughout the process, before braving the elements (typical Staffordshire Spring weather!) to present their final prototypes and compete to see which glider managed to successfully meet the success factors.
Congratulations to Team Brown Bucket who were announced as the winning team!
Once the challenge was complete, our Academy students visited the Royal Air Force Museum in Cosford where they were able to view the vast collection of equipment and artefacts covering all areas of aviation history and the RAF.
We are looking forward to welcoming our Cohort 3 students back to Stafford at the end of May!
