1. 1
Introduction to STEM for the Boys and Girls Club
Summary
In the fall of 2015 a STEM program called Xplane Fly to Learn was modified and presented to a
local group of eighth graders at the King County Boys and Girls Club on Martin Luther King
Way in South Seattle. The program consisted of 90 minute classes that were held on most
Saturday mornings for five months that used the excitement of aerospace in general, and flight
testing in particular, as a way to enthuse students into learning math and science principles. In
addition to the classroom activities, several field trips were conducted to the Museum of Flight,
the Boeing Employees Flying Association and the FAA Control Tower in Renton to provide the
context and 'hands on' experience to go along with the lessons.
Course Outline
The following is the course outline that was followed for the class. The class was a combination
of direct instruction with hands on experimentation and was reinforced with formative and
summative assessments. In general it took several sessions to cover each topic.
Topic Discussion
Learn to fly and use Xplane Students were provided laptops with Xplane loaded
and were taught how to fly and to use the program.
This included using flight controls and reading flight
instruments.
Takeoff testing with Cessna 172 They then learned how to do takeoff testing and
displaying the time history data of both landing gear
loads, airspeed and takeoff distance (as determined
by Xplane)
Gross weight effects on takeoff
distance
Using the capabilities of Xplane, takeoff testing was
conducted on a Cessna 172 by varying the airplane
gross weight and looking at the effects it had on
takeoff distance.
Physics of Flight Several classes were devoted to exploring deeper
into the physics of flying that included the following
topics: forces of flight, velocity, lift equation,
acceleration, dimensional analysis and distance
calculations.
Takeoff testing with B777 varying
gross weight and flap setting.
Now with information about what determines lift,
students moved on to conducting takeoff testing
varying gross weight and flap setting on a Boeing
777 and seeing the effect on takeoff distance.
Calculate by hand takeoff distance and
compare with Xplane's distance.
As an extension, students used raw takeoff test data
of time and velocity to manually calculate takeoff
distance using basic kinematic equations. Velocity
was used to find acceleration and then distance was
2. 2
calculated using acceleration. This distance was
then compared to the distance determined by the
Xplane simulation.
Common Core Standards
Research into the current Common Core Standards for math and science revealed a new series of
standards adopted by Washington State recently for science called Next Generation Science
Standards, NGSS. The following middle school science standard (MS-PS2-2) was addressed by
the takeoff investigation of varying gross weight and flap setting to manually calculate takeoff
distance and compare that with what the simulation determined. The math standard that follows
(8EE.5) was demonstrated by the plotting of velocity and time, realizing that acceleration is the
slope of the velocity.
MS-PS2-2: Plan an investigation to provide evidence that the change in an object’s motion
depends on the sum of the forces on the object and the mass of the object.
8EE.5 Understand the connections between proportional relationships, lines, and linear
equations. Graph proportional relationships, interpreting the unit rate as the slope of the graph.
Field Trips
Three field trips were used to introduce students to some hands on learning by exposing them to
real airplanes and simulators at the Museum of Fight and at a local flying club. This is where
students could sit in the airplane and manipulate the flight controls of a real airplane and relate
that to their Xplane desktop simulation experience. At the local flying club, students were
shown how to perform a preflight inspection of a Cessna 172 which was a good demonstration of
how the flight controls operated. Additionally a tour of the Renton FAA control tower showed
the students how airplanes could safely fly in and out of the airport.
Results
Below are examples of two students results comparing their manual calculations of runway
takeoff distance to that of the simulations. Notice that in most cases they were within 10% and
sometimes even less. The data also shows good correlation of aerodynamic principles in which
increasing flaps the shorter the runway is needed that matches actual airliner performance.
Increasing gross weight demonstrated the need for additional runway as well.
3. 3
Student Tija
B777 Gross Weight Flaps Manual Distance ft Xplane Distance ft Difference ft
440,000 lbs Up 3036 3241 205
440,000 lbs 15 1817 1990 173
440,000 lbs 30 2074 2221 147
560,000 lbs Up 4575 4947 372
560,000 lbs 15 3405 3583 178
560,000 lbs 30 2630 2788 158
Student Echo
B777 Gross Weight Flaps Manual Distance ft Xplane Distance
ft
Difference ft
440,000 lbs Up 5508 6133 625
440,000 lbs 15 4805 4830 25
440,000 lbs 30 3800 3932 132
560,000 lbs Up 5848 6017 169
560,000 lbs 15 3882 3713 169
560,000 lbs 30 4613 4415 198
Conclusion
This class brought authentic flight test engineering practices into a classroom where students
engaged in real life airplane flight testing. The students engaged in learning the concepts of
acceleration; utilized their acquired knowledge to solve problems with algebra; and then tested
their calculations with a simulation of real world performance. Students and instructors both felt
this was a successful class.
4. 4
Instructors
Dr. Fred Quarnstrom, a dentist in the local area and a pilot who organized these classes.
Dave Jones, also a pilot and engineer who worked for both United Airlines and for Boeing Flight
Test
Dan Hrehov, a retired Boeing Flight Test Engineer and a physics teacher who is also a pilot.
