Go fly a kite, then fly a plane! The 19th part of a 22-part unit on aviation looks at the way kites and gliders help aid in the understanding of flight. Pupils discuss how engineers used kites to influence airplane designs.

Concepts

flight, aviation, kites, airplanes, design, technology resources

Show More Show Less

Additional Tags

airplanes, balsa, control plane, control surface, flight, glider, wing shapes

Show More Show Less

Instructional Ideas

• Research how early airplane designers used kites to learn about flying 

Classroom Considerations

• Assumes the class understands the forces acting upon an airplane
• Learners should know how control surfaces affect flights

Pros

• Includes descriptions of assessment activities
• Contains anticipated answers for discussion questions

Cons

• None