Project: Are you already flying, or are you still dreaming (about it)?

In the March 2010 issue of *Modell Flugsport*, Emil Giezendanner asked where there was still room for the topic of (model) flying in schools. That inspired me to offer a project in this area. The proposal was approved by the school administration, and so I was able to carry out the project at the Willisau Cantonal School.

The ten spots were booked up in no time—five girls and five boys wanted to “fly.” We built paper airplanes, a UHU-SAL Slipper, and a hot-air balloon. During theory sessions, we explained how and why these things fly in the first place, as well as how much weight the hot-air balloon can carry. We conducted experiments in the school’s own wind tunnel—built by high school seniors—to make the theory easier to understand.

Throughout the entire time, the students practiced flying an airplane and a helicopter on the simulator. They even took their lunch breaks in shifts so that they could make the best use of the simulator.

For some, building the SAL Slipper wasn’t all that easy—it required meticulous precision and strict adherence to the assembly instructions and blueprints. In the end, though, all 10 airplanes were ready for takeoff. On the last afternoon, when the rain had finally stopped, we headed over together to the FLUGBOX.CH airfield. Now we could see who had done the work precisely. We soon got the hang of flying the SAL-Slipper—and Adrian couldn’t stop flying it.

At the same time, it was now possible to see what the simulator training had achieved. Everyone was really excited before the first flight. Thanks to the generous support of the specialty store Spiel und Flugbox AG in Willisau, everyone had the opportunity to fly around in helicopters and airplanes. A big thank you to the two patient flight instructors, Tom and Luky. Equipped with instructor-student systems and plenty of experience, there were a few close calls at most, but fortunately no crashes. Still, some of the kids had imagined it would be a bit easier. Abira turned out to be a natural, getting the hang of the helicopter after just a few minutes. Crazy pilot Chappi didn’t show off his 3D acrobatic routine until later. So we still didn’t get to see what else a helicopter is capable of besides hovering.

All in all: a successful project—and absolutely suitable for schools!

Kurt Kneubühler