- Welcome to WEDU Quest.

I'm Dr. Shannon McQuaig.

Pasco county schools have
created an uplifting new way

of supporting STEM education.

It's the mobile aviation lab.

Fifth graders at Pineview
Elementary in Land o'Lakes,

Florida were introduced
to flight simulation,

virtual reality,
unmanned robotic systems,

and the physics of flight.

(electronic music)

- I came up with the
concept of having this

aviation mobile lab so that
all kids in Pasco County

could get an opportunity
to engage, explore,

and get them exposed to
these concepts of aviation

and aerospace.

- In our county we had currently
nine elementary schools

that are in the feeder
pattern that have aviation

equipment, but I saw
such an impact on the

student achievement with
that that we thought

maybe it would be great
if we could get it to

all of the students
in Pasco County.

- [Narrator] Four stations
were created where small groups

of six students would
receive hands-on experiential

learning.

It starts with
flight simulation.

- [Terry] We have fabricated
the bus to have six flight

simulators on it, running
Lockheed Martin's prepared

3D software.

The students get an
opportunity to fly real live

flight simulators where
they get a chance to

operate the yoke and really
get a feel for flight

and what flight is all about.

- [Narrator] The students also
program drones to navigate

a martian landscape.

- We also have unmanned systems.

So we have them
operating drones,

but with the drones,
we're tying in coding.

So I really believe that
coding is important.

And it's a skill that
students need to survive,

and our country needs
students that are

very involved with
computer science.

- [Narrator] Virtual reality
is used to teach students

about flight.

- The students are going
into a virtual world

and learning about lift
and drag and thrust

and really the
physics of flight,

and learning how these
monstrosity of air vehicles

get into the air.

So they're learning
the physics of flight

through virtual reality.

(upbeat music)

And then the fourth
activity we have is tied to,

it's 3D printing.

So we take a little plane that
we've 3D printed in-house.

They're constructing the
plane and then they are

testing different wing
shapes to see how that plane

goes through the air,
measuring distances.

And then they're doing
averaging of which wing?

Was it the elliptical?

Was it swept wing
that flew the furthest

after they do trials with that.

- Wanna go over
here to primitives.

- [Narrator] The lessons were
taught by the fifth graders'

own teachers.

- Ms. Randall was our first
classroom that came in

when we came to Pineview
Elementary School here.

And she was really excited.

She got the kids excited,

and they were all engaged.

Ms. Randall was really
good about encouraging them

and just listening and
giving a lot of feedback

and some really great
critical thinking strategies

with the questioning
that she gave to them.

The way that they were
talking and connecting,

they were learning
lots of aha moments.

- This is almost like
something you would see,

like a parachute, right?

Or one of those gliders.

You have all types of
kiddos in every class

and all types of personalities,

and all different
ways of learning.

And they all latched on.

Some of them, their favorite
was the flight simulator,

some of them was
the jumping sumo,

some of them absolutely
liked putting those planes

together, and they were
fixated on that 3D printer.

Many really, truly enjoyed
the virtual reality goggles.

And some of them have
had experience with

virtual reality goggles, so
to actually have something

that they see as fun but
placed in a learning mode

was awesome.

- [Narrator] Computer aided
design, or CAD software,

helped the students design
planes that would actually fly.

- All of our iPads were
preloaded with an app,

so they were able
to design a plane.

So they went to glider here.

And then you double tap there.

And then they were able
to pick out a stabilizer

and the type of wings that
they would have put on there.

(upbeat music)

- [Narrator] The
students connected

with this hands-on
approach to aviation.

- They all just 100%
engaged, and they knew that

there was a goal,
and I think that made

all the difference.

- Students like Corina, who
is absolutely determined

to find a solution, and
so proud of herself.

Comments that she made
along the way were

"oh, I got it.

"Oh I'm so smart.

"I know what I did wrong now."

And then modifying
and fixing it.

- You got to connect
the drone to your iPad

and kind of like code
your drone to go through

a obstacle course.

The first thing you
have to do is be able

to go around a volcano and
jump through this hoop.

You kind of have to make
sure the angles are right

because if you get
the angle wrong,

you can have it be turning
in a different direction

than you wanted to turn.

(upbeat music)

- I think my favorite station
was the 3D printer planes

'cause you printed
your plane and you test

the different wingspans
and aerodynamics.

You would use a rubber
band and a binder

and you would pull the
plane back and slingshot it

and see how far it went
based on a tape measurer.

- [Narrator] These aviators
of the future came away

wanting to share what
they'd learned with others.

- I'd tell them you
gotta do it soon.

It's probably my most
fun day at school.

- It's very fun learning
about all the different

kind of academics
and stuff while doing

hands-on activities.

- [Narrator] The students of
Ms. Randall's class have earned

their wings.

They've proven their abilities
in the STEM aviation lab.

- I'm going to present each
of you with your wings.

So thank you.

Congratulations.

- I know that this week I
had four kids take out books

on how to fly and planes
and pilots after this.

So it just lit a
fire in some of them.

I think it's a great seed
to plant at this age.

- Just the ability for
them to really stick

with something and feel
confident and fixing

those things and modifying
things until they get it

exactly right and
then seeing the pride

that they have when they
accomplish that goal

is just huge.

- You know, you're exposing
them and opening up

their minds and letting
them know the possibilities

that are out there.

And we've kind of lit a
fire under these kids,

and that's what it's about.

Just getting them thinking
about what their future

could hold.

(upbeat music)

- Quest for more
flight information,

visit
pasco.k12.fl.us/cte/aviation.