SilverMoon Posted January 24, 2017 Share Posted January 24, 2017 (edited) More planes, he says. Before I go about reinventing a wheel unnecessarily, have any of you tried history and/or physics based on flight? Book recommendations? Starting points? We're not looking for an online class; MOOCs would probably work though. This is for a rising 9th grader. STEM guy through and through. He doesn't dislike history per se, but it's definitely not a favorite. Science based world history and geography have kept him pretty engaged the last few years. The thought of a course like his older sister is doing for history (OM world) made him cringe. He asked for history of aircraft and wants to know how much we could get flight into the physics he was already planning on. The history part seems easier than the physics! His math will be beginning geometry or tail end of alg 1 depending on how our summer goes. I told him he may be stuck with chunks of a typical physics book for my comfort level. :tongue_smilie: He's already a card carrying member of Civil Air Patrol and has had two O flights. (I should go read 8Fill's course building book again.) Edited February 3, 2017 by SilverMoon 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike in SA Posted January 24, 2017 Share Posted January 24, 2017 Flight is a standard topic in almost every physics course. You could spend a little extra time focusing on some concepts, but creating a course devoted to the physics of flight would require stronger math and a solid background in mechanics up front. The history, as you mentioned, is easier to pull together. For additional depth added to an existing curriculum, look for labs on balloon flight (the latex variety), airfoils, and propellers. Those three will provide lots of insight. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike in SA Posted January 24, 2017 Share Posted January 24, 2017 It just occurred to me to add something. My younger brother and I wrote a program for our local EAA (experimental aircraft assoc) chapter when we were in high school. The program would allow the user to input desired flight / propulsion characteristics, and it would design an optimal airfoil for the builder to use. The work was based on his readings of Ernst Mach and my work on current mathematical models for the airfoils. It was a fun project, and a big hit with the EAA community. My older brother even used it to design and build custom model airplanes (like the big ones you can find at a hobby store). 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8filltheheart Posted January 24, 2017 Share Posted January 24, 2017 I would start with NASA's website: https://www.grc.nasa.gov/WWW/K-12/airplane/ https://www.grc.nasa.gov/www/k-12/aeroact.htm http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/aero/k_12.htm Fwiw, he might really enjoy Kinetic Books' Conceptual Physics. The course includes a lot of propulsion activities. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MamaSprout Posted January 24, 2017 Share Posted January 24, 2017 I assume he's already done ground school? I've got a flight lover here, too, so I'll be following this thread. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverMoon Posted January 24, 2017 Author Share Posted January 24, 2017 (edited) Adding more flight to a standard physics seems easier than the other way around. Those NASA sites have some great stuff! Conceptual would be fine vs alg based I think. I'm positive he'll be taking more physics before high school is over. I'll look at Kinetic. He hasn't had a formal ground school, but they cover that type of material in weekly CAP meetings. Edited January 24, 2017 by SilverMoon 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8filltheheart Posted January 24, 2017 Share Posted January 24, 2017 Adding more flight to a standard physics seems easier than the other way around. Those NASA sites have some great stuff! Conceptual would be fine vs alg based I think. I'm positive he'll be taking more physics before high school is over. I'll look at Kinetic. He hasn't had a formal ground school, but they cover that type of material in weekly CAP meetings. KB's Conceptual Physics is an alg-based physics course. It was the course that made ds fall in love with physics. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverMoon Posted January 24, 2017 Author Share Posted January 24, 2017 Doh! I'm used to the word conceptual meaning low math. Like the Hewitt book. DS already loves physics. It's ASU's fault. Their open houses and Night of the Open Door are so good he's skipped an air show for them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted January 24, 2017 Share Posted January 24, 2017 We just did this topic for a middle schooler. If you want to hit up the history part, there are a lot of books out there and a lot of good directions you could go. We used mostly upper end middle grades and YA nonfiction books, but there were so many biographies - the Wright Brothers, Amelia Earhart, etc. and so many good history books about the early air pioneers. I think you could pick something really fun to incorporate history. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FriedClams Posted January 24, 2017 Share Posted January 24, 2017 Here's a review I did of Aeroscholars. http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=&ved=0ahUKEwic5N7V_dvRAhVFNiYKHfBBBpoQFggaMAA&url=https%3A%2F%2Ffriedclamsandsweettea.wordpress.com%2F2015%2F08%2F11%2Fhigh-school-electives-aeroscholars-course-1-fundamentals-of-aviation-science%2F&usg=AFQjCNFR4pvv0Bysx50veFdkXpPZrHv8IA My second kid is taking it now. Totally appropriate for 8/9th grade. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MamaSprout Posted January 25, 2017 Share Posted January 25, 2017 (edited) Here's a review I did of Aeroscholars. http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=&ved=0ahUKEwic5N7V_dvRAhVFNiYKHfBBBpoQFggaMAA&url=https%3A%2F%2Ffriedclamsandsweettea.wordpress.com%2F2015%2F08%2F11%2Fhigh-school-electives-aeroscholars-course-1-fundamentals-of-aviation-science%2F&usg=AFQjCNFR4pvv0Bysx50veFdkXpPZrHv8IA My second kid is taking it now. Totally appropriate for 8/9th grade. Okay, so is this different from Sportty's "Learn to Fly" course? We have a coupon from the EAA. It looks like online ground school. This is all new to me, but even just the book sounds good. ETA, it looks like ground school would be the second Aeroscholars course? This could work well for a full year if we did the first course then used our coupon? Edited January 25, 2017 by elladarcy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted January 25, 2017 Share Posted January 25, 2017 Not a curriculum, but I am enjoying reading Skyfaring, written by a BA pilot Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lanny Posted January 25, 2017 Share Posted January 25, 2017 In addition to what you are looking for, possibly he would be interested in these 2 free MOOC courses from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. I am enrolled in the course about Small Unmanned Aircraft, which will begin on February 6th. The other course, about aviation, is open for enrollment at any time. GL to him! https://www.canvas.net/?query=aircraft Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
birchbark Posted January 26, 2017 Share Posted January 26, 2017 Maybe you will find some ideas in this post. My plane-lover did WW history in 9th grade and loved it. I got a few highly-rated books on Amazon, had him watch some documentaries and movies, assigned a timeline, and made him write a few papers. He did Aeroscholars this past fall. He also enjoyed it and finished it in less than a semester. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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