I teach 8th grade Earth Science at a middle school in the West Shore School District near Harrisburg, PA. Each year (this is my 4th year teaching-2nd career) I have offered extra-curricular activities to students based on my interests. These have included a canoe and kayak club, outdoor adventure club, coaching our Science Olympiad team, leading field immersion trips, ultimate frisbee, and this year, an RC airplane scratch build club.
I have been fascinated with airplanes and flight as far back as I can remember. I've tinkered with real airplanes, took flying lessons in high school and soloed on my 16th birthday. Cost and college, then marriage and a family came along, so I never obtained my pilot license. I always was interested in RC aircraft, but never got into the hobby until last spring. I love it!
I am extending my excitement of RC aircraft to my students. Along with the art teacher in my building who also flies RC airplanes, I have started a scratch build RC club at school. Currently, we have 8 students participating. I would love to have more, but logistically, more than 10 will be overwhelming. The students participating cover a broad range of backgrounds. We have one student who lives in a home for abused and neglected children. I asked him to participate because I think it will give him a feeling of belonging and boost his self-confidence. Contrast that with a student whose dad is almost completed a build of a Van's RV-7A. This guy lost his garage when his mother-in-law moved in. Unnerved, he built the airplane below grade in his basement. When time came to roll it out and start final assembly, he dug a big hole, knocked out his basement wall and pulled the plane out with a come-along. Its now only a few months away from maiden.
All of the students are great kids. Some are very successful in school and some are the names spoken with a scowl on other teachers' faces. But, if you can connect on a human level with a student, they are your best ally!
We meet every Tuesday after school. This week (Oct 3rd) will be our 3rd meeting. If the weather is good, we start flight lessons on my upgraded Wild Hawk. I found it in the trash on the curb a few weeks ago and turned it into a 4 channel rocket! I'll take it up and let the kids glide it down to get a feel for flying an rc airplane.
Most of the kids have picked out airplanes for their first build. I have been impressed by the interest in historically important aircraft. One wants to build a Fokker DR1, another an SE5A to contest the Red Baron, P-51, F-22, and one who wants a sailplane. I'm going to build an EDF F-106 in honor of one of my fellow science teachers who was a mechanic in the Air Force. He worked on 106s and B-1s.
I am so excited about working with the kids on this! I love this little hobby. I get to express my creativity while satisfying my love of aircraft and flight! What could be better? I can't think of anything!
I have been fascinated with airplanes and flight as far back as I can remember. I've tinkered with real airplanes, took flying lessons in high school and soloed on my 16th birthday. Cost and college, then marriage and a family came along, so I never obtained my pilot license. I always was interested in RC aircraft, but never got into the hobby until last spring. I love it!
I am extending my excitement of RC aircraft to my students. Along with the art teacher in my building who also flies RC airplanes, I have started a scratch build RC club at school. Currently, we have 8 students participating. I would love to have more, but logistically, more than 10 will be overwhelming. The students participating cover a broad range of backgrounds. We have one student who lives in a home for abused and neglected children. I asked him to participate because I think it will give him a feeling of belonging and boost his self-confidence. Contrast that with a student whose dad is almost completed a build of a Van's RV-7A. This guy lost his garage when his mother-in-law moved in. Unnerved, he built the airplane below grade in his basement. When time came to roll it out and start final assembly, he dug a big hole, knocked out his basement wall and pulled the plane out with a come-along. Its now only a few months away from maiden.
All of the students are great kids. Some are very successful in school and some are the names spoken with a scowl on other teachers' faces. But, if you can connect on a human level with a student, they are your best ally!
We meet every Tuesday after school. This week (Oct 3rd) will be our 3rd meeting. If the weather is good, we start flight lessons on my upgraded Wild Hawk. I found it in the trash on the curb a few weeks ago and turned it into a 4 channel rocket! I'll take it up and let the kids glide it down to get a feel for flying an rc airplane.
Most of the kids have picked out airplanes for their first build. I have been impressed by the interest in historically important aircraft. One wants to build a Fokker DR1, another an SE5A to contest the Red Baron, P-51, F-22, and one who wants a sailplane. I'm going to build an EDF F-106 in honor of one of my fellow science teachers who was a mechanic in the Air Force. He worked on 106s and B-1s.
I am so excited about working with the kids on this! I love this little hobby. I get to express my creativity while satisfying my love of aircraft and flight! What could be better? I can't think of anything!