Education Program Grades 9-12
iFLY’s unique vertical wind tunnel
provides the perfect environment to
show students how exciting STEM
can be! Our Education Program
has been designed by professional
educators to support and enhance
STEM learning in your classroom.
Every&iFLY&Field&Trip&includes:&
•  Interac(ve*STEM*presenta(on,*delivered*by*iFLY*STEM*Educator*
•  Physics*demonstra(on*in*the*wind*tunnel*
•  Classroom*experiment*to*derive*students’*predicted*terminal*velocity*and*
compare*with*actual*measured*wind*tunnel*speeds*
•  Flying*instruc(on*&*safety*training*
•  Flying*(me,*with*oneFonFone*supervision*from*a*highlyFtrained*and*cer(fied*
instructor*
•  Pre*and*postFfield*trip*ac(vi(es*to*conduct*in*your*classroom*
•  Photos*and*videos*for*the*students*to*keep*
**
“…all I can say is WOW! Best
field trip in 18 years of teaching.
My students couldn’t stop
talking about it today!”
– Raine Maggio, Austin teacher
Education Program Grades 9-12
iFLY field trips make
STEM relevant,
interesting and
accessible for your
students.
Our&Learning&Objec9ves&include:&
•  Increasing*awareness*of*exci(ng*STEM*careers*
•  Learning*how*STEM*is*used*in*the*realFworld*
•  Drawing*and*interpre(ng*freeFbody*force*diagrams*
•  Understanding*the*nature*of*fluids*and*how*they*exert*forces*on*
solid*objects*
•  Deriving*equa(ons*to*represent*physical*phenomena*
•  Applying*engineering*principles*to*think*about*tunnel*design,*
energy*efficiency,*and*safety*factors*
•  Understanding*variability,*uncertainty,*and*error*in*experimental*
results*
*
All*iFLY*field*trips*support*the*following*Virginia*Standards*of*Learning*
(SOLs):**
MATH:*A.1;*A.4a,f;*A.6a;*A.8;*A.11;*G.13;*G.14c;*AFDA.1f;*AFDA.5;*AFDA.
8;*AII.7bFd*
SCIENCE:*PH.2aFd;*PH.3b,e;*PH.4;*PH.5a,d,e,g*
!
iFLY%Education%Program%
Teacher%Guide%
Grades%9812%
%
%
Program'focus'
!
The!High!School!Education!Program!at!iFLY!uses!iFLY’s!unique!vertical!wind!tunnel!
facility!to!make!STEM!exciting,!relevant,!and!accessible!to!students.!Our!curriculum!
has!been!designed!by!STEM!educators!and!scientists!to!support!STEM!learning!in!
your!classroom.!Every!iFLY!field!trip!includes:!
!
• Interactive!STEM!presentation,!delivered!by!iFLY!STEM!Educator!
• Physics!demonstration!in!the!wind!tunnel!
• Classroom!experiment!to!investigate!the!effects!of!parachute!parameters!on!
flight!performance!
• Flying!instruction!&!safety!training!
• Flying!time,!with!oneKonKone!supervision!from!a!highlyKtrained!and!certified!
instructor!
• Pre!and!postKfield!trip!activities!to!conduct!in!your!classroom!
• Photos!and!videos!for!the!students!to!keep!
!
Learning'objectives'
!
• Increasing!awareness!of!exciting!STEM!careers!
• Learning!how!STEM!is!used!in!the!realKworld!
• Drawing!and!interpreting!freeKbody!force!diagrams!
• Understanding!the!nature!of!fluids!and!how!they!exert!forces!on!solid!objects!
• Deriving!equations!to!represent!physical!phenomena!
• Applying!engineering!principles!to!think!about!tunnel!design,!energy!
efficiency,!and!safety!factors!
• Understanding!variability,!uncertainty,!and!error!in!experimental!results!
!
Program'synopsis'
'
Lecture%and%Demonstration%
The!program!begins!with!a!lecture!and!discussion!with!iFLY!STEM!Educators!to!
introduce!STEM!concepts!related!to!the!wind!tunnel.!Students!will!discuss!basic!
ideas!of!fluid!dynamics,!and!learn!how!fluids!exert!pressure!forces!on!objects.!
The!STEM!Educator!will!discuss!the!different!forces!at!work!in!the!wind!tunnel,!
and!how!changing!the!shape!or!“frontal!area”!of!an!object!will!affect!its!speed!in!
the!wind!tunnel.!The!STEM!Educator!will!lead!students!through!an!exercise!to!
derive!the!equation!for!“terminal!velocity”!(the!air!velocity!required!to!“fly”!the!
object).!Educators!will!also!introduce!engineering!careers!and!how!engineers!
use!wind!tunnels!to!test!their!designs.!!!
!
!
The!wind!tunnel!demonstration!segment!uses!various!objects!such!as!inflatable!
balls!to!show!how!the!terminal!velocity!depends!on!an!object’s!size,!shape,!and!
weight.!!
%
Classroom%Experiment%
Students!move!into!a!classroom!and!break!into!2’s!and!3’s!to!conduct!an!
experiment.!The!goal!is!for!each!student!to!predict!his/her!own!terminal!velocity!
in!the!wind!tunnel.!In!other!words,!how!fast!must!the!air!in!the!wind!tunnel!
move!to!make!each!student!“float”?!The!students!will!use!algebraic!reasoning!to!
solve!the!air!drag!equation!for!“v”.!The!groups!will!then!use!measuring!tapes!and!
scales!to!determine!their!weight!and!frontal!area.!!
!
During!their!flights,!an!instructor!will!be!recording!their!actual!terminal!
velocities.!Afterwards,!the!students!will!compare!their!actual!velocities!to!their!
predicted!values.!The!Educator!will!lead!them!through!a!discussion!of!error!and!
the!class!will!brainstorm!possible!reasons!for!the!error.!If!time!is!running!short,!
the!classroom!teacher!will!be!given!all!the!materials!necessary!to!conduct!this!
discussion!back!at!school.!!!!
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Flight%Experience%
All!students!are!given!flight!instruction!by!a!certified!flight!instructor,!including!
an!individual!flight!experience!in!the!iFLY!tunnel.!!
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Grade'level'appropriateness'
!
Our!curriculum!has!been!specifically!designed!to!support!the!following!
standards:!
!
Virginia!SOL:!!
Math:!A.1;!A.4a,f;!A.6a;!A.8;!A.11;!G.13;!G.14c;!AFDA.1f;!AFDA.5;!AFDA.8;!AII.7bKd!
Science:!PH.2aKd;!PH.3b,e;!PH.4;!PH.5a,d,e,g!
!
Common!Core!Mathematics:!HSA.CED.A.1;!HSA.CED.A.2;!HSA.CED.A.4;!
HSA.REI.A.1;!HSA.REI.B.3!
!
NGSS:!HSKPS2K1;!HSKPS2K2;!HSKETS1K2!
!
Making%the%most%of%your%field%trip%
%
1. Deliver!the!“Pre!Field!Trip”!pdf!slides!to!your!students!(This!is!also!available!
in!.pptx!format.!Contact!us!and!we!can!email!you!this!file).!This!presentation!
will!show!students!what!to!expect!when!they!arrive!at!the!wind!tunnel.!It!will!
also!introduce!some!of!the!vocabulary!and!STEM!concepts!we!will!cover!in!
the!field!trip.!At!the!end!of!the!slides,!you!will!find!a!page!containing!a!
“script”!that!you!can!read!wordKforKword!to!your!students.!No!preparation!
necessary!!
!
!
2. If!you!have!questions!before,!during,!or!after!your!field!trip,!please!do!not!
hesitate!to!contact!iFLY!staff.!We!are!happy!to!answer!any!questions!that!will!
make!your!students’!better!!!
3. Arrive!on!time.!Students’!flight!times!are!prescheduled!and!cannot!be!
rearranged.!Arriving!promptly!will!ensure!that!your!students!do!not!miss!any!
portions!of!their!education!experience.!!
4. During!the!classroom!activity,!the!STEM!Educator!may!ask!for!your!
assistance!to!help!students!with!certain!portions!of!their!investigation.!Please!
encourage!parents!and!other!field!trip!chaperones!to!jump!in!and!lend!a!
hand!!!
5. Please!help!us!improve!and!strengthen!our!program!by!completing!the!
Teacher!Survey.!We!value!your!feedback!!!
6. You!will!receive!materials!and!suggested!activities!to!complete!back!in!the!
classroom.!Having!a!followKup!discussion!or!activity!with!your!students!after!
the!field!trip!will!help!support!the!concepts!they!learned!during!their!visit.!!!
iFLY%Education%Program%%
High School Standards Alignment
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Field Trip Activity
Interactive Presentation:
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Students analyze the graphs of displacement, velocity, and acceleration vs. time and use these to describe a
skydiver during freefall
Students use the pitot-static tubes in the wind tunnel to observe and record the velocities of different objects
in the wind tunnel.
Use a free body diagram of a skydiver to sum the forces acting on his/her body
Discuss that when forces are balanced (net force = 0), acceleration is zero, and a skydiver achieves
“terminal velocity”
Discuss the differences between objects falling through air vs. a vacuum. Conclude that in a vacuum, mass
has no effect on acceleration or velocity.
Recognize that a flyer has both mass and velocity and that a flyer’s kinetic energy increases as a square of
the flyer’s velocity
Discuss the difference in frames of reference between the wind tunnel and skydiving, i.e, in the wind tunnel
the flyer is still and the air is moving, while in free flight the air is still and the skydiver is moving
The STEM Educator leads the class in the derivation of the equation for terminal velocity using the balance
of forces equation (sum of forces = ma)
Students identify the independent variables involved in terminal velocity, and determine whether they are
inversely or directly proportional to velocity
Identify when the gravitational force or the force of air drag is dominant. Discuss the effect this has on a
skydiver’s velocity and acceleration.
Discuss that when forces are balanced (net force = 0), acceleration is zero, and a skydiver achieves
“terminal velocity”.
Discuss the differences between objects falling through air vs. a vacuum. Conclude that in a vacuum, mass
has no effect on acceleration or velocity.
Educator leads a discussion about engineering careers, the engineering process as applied to the design of
iFLY tunnels, and other applications of wind tunnels in STEM
LAB ACTIVITY
•
Students break into small groups and brainstorm ways to measure the variables required for solving the lab
activity
Standard
Science SOL:
PH.3 b,e
PH.4
PH.5 a,d,e,g
Math SOL:
A.1; A.8
G.13; G.14 c
AFDA.1 f
AII.7 b,c,d
Next Generation Science Standards:
HS-PS2-1
Science SOL:
PH.1 a-e; PH.2 a
Math SOL:
A.4 a-f
iFLY%Education%Program%High School Standards Alignment
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Students use the derived equation to calculate their own personal terminal velocity in the wind tunnel,
which they compare to actual values
Students measure their own mass and surface area using scales and tape measures. They use this to calculate
their terminal velocity in the tunnel. All calculations are made using SI units.
Students compare predicted terminal velocity to their actual velocity in the wind tunnel and calculate
percent error. They then discuss possible reasons for error and ways to redesign the experiment to be more
accurate.
Students use the equation for terminal velocity to conclude what would happen if certain variables were
increased or decreased. For example, “How would a very large object with a small mass behave in the wind
tunnel?”
Apply the equation for terminal velocity to such hypothetical scenarios such as “What would you expect for
a skydiver falling through molasses instead of air?” or “What factors complicated the design of the descent
and landing for the NASA Mars Rover expeditions?”
Post-field trip classroom activity
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Students can use their own data to create a class graph of terminal velocity.
Students can use their class graph to create a “recommendation” to iFLY engineers for which value of drag
coefficient should be used to model teenage flyers in the wind tunnel
G.13
Next Generation Science Standards:
HS-PS2-1
HS-ETS1-2
Common Core Mathematics:
HSA.CED.A.1,2,4
HSA.REI.A.1
HSA.REI.B.3
Science SOL:
PH.2 a-d
Math SOL:
A.6 a; A.11
G.13
AFDA.5
AFDA.8
2