Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum situated at Hamilton International Airport has put together an amazing aviation Program for Grade Six students that is designed to help you deliver the Matter and Materials strand from your Science and Technology curriculum, specifically the Properties of Air and the Characteristics of Flight.

OUR PROGRAM
When we first meet the students our well-trained staff introduces the Museum as a working museum. Over half of our aircraft are carefully maintained in flying condition and are flown on a regular basis. After a short talk on safety and security in an aviation environment, the children are divided into class- size groups of approximately 25 to 30 persons per workstation and are escorted into the hangar

Starting from the simple concepts that air occupies space and that air has weight, we systematically show the children that these two concepts have a great deal to do with the principles of flight. After introducing the notion that air can do work for us, we proceed to an aircraft to show the students examples of pneumatic and hydraulic systems.

Back at the workstations, students construct a simple device that starts to demonstrate the concept of low pressure and that this low pressure contributes to the principle of lift. Aircraft in the collection are used to re-enforce the concept of lift by showing the differences in shape between an upper wing surface and the lower wing surface. The principle of an airfoil is introduced at this time and a representative example is constructed.

Just before lunch, all groups assemble at our flight demonstration area where we take a nostalgic trip back in time to the days of Daniel Bernoulli, the noted 18th century mathematician and physicist. With a focus on fun and humour, a series of demonstrations are presented to the students that show the concepts of lift and the experiments that Bernoulli conducted. Students and teachers are conscripted and become involved.

Lunch is picnic style beneath the wings of one of our large aircraft.

After lunch the students re-convene at their workstations. The concept of Lift, Gravity (weight), Thrust and Drag are shown and aircraft are visited to show the principles of aerodynamics. Also the principles of roll, pitch and yaw are introduced to expand the concept of flight into the more complicated concept of controlling an aircraft when it is flying.

At appropriate time and if time permits, children are taken to one of our memorial aircraft where the story of a Canadian Victoria Cross winner is told.

Our day wraps up with a project that has each student constructing a small styrofoam aircraft, modifying it with appropriate flight control surfaces to demonstrate the control surfaces that control roll, pitch and yaw. In some cases time restraints and Museum aircraft dispersal prohibit the flying of the gliders in the hangar in which case you will be given the gliders so the class may experiment with them in the school gymnasium.

Each student receives a Controlling Aircraft in Flight certificate.

To talk to someone give us a call at (905) 679-4183 ext 222.
E-mail inquiries to edserv@warplane.com.

When reserving your memorable visit, kindly inform us of the number of students you expect to bring. Reservations are necessary but no deposit is required, and you only pay for the students that arrive at the museum. The charge per student is $11.50 HST included; Teachers, EA's, and Student Teachers are free.