Building a Flying Machine

By: Arianna Bilal-Threats

At first we made our fuselage out of straws because we thought air flow would take over and increase lift. We made the wings out of folder paper because we thought it would be sturdier than regular paper. After learning about the 4 forces- lift, thrust, drag, and weight, we knew that there needed to be a point at the front of the plane called a nose. So, we used a fuselage made out of a plastic bottle because it has a point that looked like a nose. We cut the bottom off of the bottle. We thought the air would flow through and increase lift, the force that brings you up. And for wings, we used cardboard. We also had double wings because at a museum we saw the Wright brothers plane had double wings and their plane was a success.

Then, we noticed our fuselage was the heaviest part of the plane. So, we made a plane with all paper. We folded a half of a paper into a tube and put a paper point at the front for a nose. Then, for the wings we made little rectangles (x4) and took 2. Then, we curved one and put it on top. The same for the other wing. We decided to put a curve on top of the wing to increase a stream lined shape. That flew! But, not for long. We were happy but we wanted something that flew long distance. So, we tried something simpler. We used a straw and taped two wings on top. We thought it did not fly because the wings on top were 2 pieces so we made it 1 piece wing on top. It still did not fly but we persevered and we made our final draft which is the same design as the all- paper plane. We decided that because that was the only successful plane.

You know when you learn something you should keep the knowledge forever. So, I will keep what I learned about the four forces- lift, drag, thrust, and weight. I will take it away with me because they are important to flight. They are important because they help it move. Thrust pushes the plane forward and drag pulls it back. Lift brings it up and weight pushes it down. I will take that away because the 4 forces were one of the first things we learned about. Also, one of the main ways we decided how to make changes in our flying machines. And that, my learners, is the story of me and Kai’s flying machine!

Building a Flying Machine

By: Max Sawyer

First, we made a plan for our flying machine.

Second, we made our flying machine. It had no wings because we thought wings would create more weight. But it fell quickly.

Third, we made a cardboard airplane with 4 wings because then we knew that wings made lift. It flew better than the first plane, but still not very well because it weighed too much. We learned it weighed too much when we dropped paper, cardboard, and plastic for an experiment and cardboard fell faster than paper.

Fourth, we got rid of two wings because we learned that a plane only needs 2 wings. It worked! It flew for 2.53 seconds! But we still thought it could be better, so we decided to use paper wings and a pencil in the front because then it would be streamlined to reduce drag and increase thrust. But it did not work so we curved the wings once we learned about air pressure and drag, but it did not work so we got rid of the pencils and it flew for 4.23 seconds!

This expedition taught me about the 4 forces and how they work on an airplane during the 7 phases of flight (pre-flight, taxiing, take-off, ascending, cruising, descending, and landing).

Building a Flying Machine

By: Anthony Coomber

At first, we had a card board tube, and 2 parachutes to make the plane slow down when it fell. We didn’t know it then, but this is called drag.

Then, we had a plane with a cardboard cup fuselage and small wings. Then, we put large wings on the top of the plane. We nicknamed it “the flying possum.” It has a streamlined nose to stop drag.

At last, we made a hang glider like plane with a straw frame and a balloon engine to make thrust. Over all our flying machine was a success!!!

Building a Flying Machine

By: Quinn Joswick

First, we used a flat piece of cardboard as the fuselage, flattened out tape boxes for the wings, and a parachute made out of straws and felt. The parachute would help the plane during landing by increasing drag. Drag is the force that slows you down.

Next, we went to the college park aviation museum and learned that the wright brother’s plane had ribs. So, we changed the fuselage to a cardboard roll so we could easily add double wings with ribs, which the wright brothers had also put on their plane.

Then, we did an experiment where we dropped a water bottle, cardboard roll, and a rolled up sheet of paper at the same time to see which one would hit the ground first because of gravity. The paper fell slowest so we made our plane out of paper and put the cardboard inside because we learned at the air and space museum that a plane needs some weight. We also learned that a plane needs surface area. Surface area is when air is pushing up or down on something flat. So, we taped the double wings together to make more surface area.

Also, Ethan’s dad came in and told us that planes have ailerons, elevators, and a rudder. So, we made ailerons on our wing to help determine which way the plane will turn. We also put on a back peace which holds the rudder and elevators. The rudder also helps the plane turn and the elevator helps determine if the plane will go up or down. We added a bump on the top of the plane’s wings so the air would go fast over top and there would be little air pressure and s-l-o-w on the bottom and there would be lots of air pressure. That’s called Bernoulli’s principle. It was created by physicist Daniel Bernoulli.

Finally, we decided to make the fuselage out of file paper and the nose out of normal paper. File paper for the fuselage because we wanted it to be light, but have some weight. Normal paper for the nose because it would curve nicely. It has paper plate wings, ailerons, and ribs made out of straws. The engine is a balloon that you blow up, let go, and it propels the plane forwards.

This expedition taught me a lot about planes, the forces of flight, and how flight works.

Building a Flying Machine

By: Timothy Cox-Henderson

At first, we used cardboard and popsicle sticks, but it was too heavy and gravity pulled it straight down and it broke.

Next, we used paper and straws that worked out and we kept using those materials. Once, we tried it without straws and that worked out fabulously! I think it worked well because the wings were curved and the fuselage was small. It was well balanced. This made it fly fast and good. We used straws so the air could go through and the plane could cut through the air. This created thrust on our plane. We tried to add more surface area on the wings to create more lift, but if fell straight to the ground because it wasn’t well balanced, so we took them off.

I feel good about our flying machine because we did good, we worked hard, and our plane flew well!

Building a Flying Machine

By: Darryl Wilkins

Our first plane was made out of cardboard and foam. It had 2 wings, one in the back and one in the front. It did not fly well because I think it was too heavy. So, we used a plastic bottle for the body and cardboard wings. We cut a hole in the bottle so the air could go through it and lift it up. We also thought it would create thrust and fight off drag by pushing the air backwards so the plane can go forward. It flew for a few seconds and fell.

Then, we did an experiment and I learned weight doesn’t matter, shape and surface area matter. There needs to be more surface area to make it catch air. The fast air needs to stay on top and the slow air needs to stay on the bottom. This helps the air push the wings up. This is called lift.

We decided to make a kite instead of a plane because a kite has more surface area. My partner cut it into a heart shape, but it kept spinning out of control and wouldn’t fly. I think it didn’t work because the sides were not equal and the shape was not aerodynamic. Most kites have a point, but our kite did not so it couldn’t glide.

This expedition taught me about flight and the four forces. This helped us build a more successful flying machine. Even though our flying machines didn’t work that well, we still worked hard and we learned from our mistakes.

Building a Flying Machine

By: Music Freeman

First, we used paper for the body and cardboard for the wings. We thought the cardboard wings would stay up in the air. We thought the same thing for the body, that the paper would be able to stay strong and fly in a straight line. When we tried to fly the machine, it went straight down to the ground because it didn’t have a nose and ailerons.

Next, we added a nose to our flying machine to create thrust. Thrust is a force that makes you go forward. Then, it flew a little, but it still went down fast. So, we decided that it had too much weight. The heavy paper and cardboard wings didn’t create any lift or drag. For the flying machine to actually fly we needed thrust, drag, gravity, and lift working at the same time.

Finally, we made a paper airplane because the weight was lighter. Also, it was more streamlined. We noticed that we didn’t need any engine power for it to fly. Once we launched our paper airplane it was able to cruise through the classroom. I was surprised that this happened.

I learned that a plane needs a nose, thrust, lift, drag, and gravity. Drag and gravity help the plane have a safe landing. And thrust and lift make the plane go straight and up. If you didn’t have all the forces the plane would not fly at all.

Building a Flying Machine

By: Kaden Coleman-Bennett

First, we used a bottle for the fuselage and cardboard wings. A fuselage is the body of the plane. We thought the plane would fly, but it was too heavy.

Next, we changed the fuselage to cardboard because we thought the lighter the plane is that it would fly. This did not work because we learned that the weight of the plane doesn’t matter as much as the surface area. We needed to change the wings so we tried making lift and thrust so it can go up and straight. We made the wings wider so the air on the bottom could push it up. Our plane still didn’t fly, so we decided to make a kite instead. With paper, straw, and string so the paper can have surface area.

Overall our kite was the best flying machine we made. It flew because the large surface area created lift and lifted the kite in the air. Our kite used most of the forces. It got up in the air and moved forward just like a plane. A plane needs lift and thrust to go up and forward and drag and gravity to stop and land. Our kite flew better than all the planes we tried to build.

Building a Flying Machine

By: Noah Hirst

At first, we made a plane out of cardboard but when we tested it, it broke. The reason it didn’t work was because it was too heavy. It was putting on lots and lots of weight and gravity. When that didn’t work we used popsicle sticks that did not work because it was too light. Then, we used straws that helped with the paper and it pushed forward a lot.

Then we made a second model out of paper and that worked really well. We stacked all the planes together and it made the plane fly even faster. When they worked together the planes stayed in the air for more than twelve seconds. It flew for 28 seconds and our next plane flew for 49 seconds and when we saw how long our plane flew we decided to make our plane even more aerodynamic by creating a pointier tip.

When we were finished, we tested it and boy did it fly well. And when we were done with that we made a final model and it flew well like our other models. We learned that if you want to make a plane fly long you have to make it more streamlined/aerodynamic.

We decided to take the things that we learned and we put it in to our flying machine building and that’s what made us build successful flying machines. That’s the story of how we built our flying machines.

Building a Flying Machine

By: Kai Nesbitt

First, we used a folder for the wings. Then, we used straws for the fuselage because we thought it would be sturdier and not heavy. It did not fly very good.

For our second draft, we used a bottle for the fuselage and cardboard for the wings. We thought the plastic bottle would not fall because gravity wouldn’t pull it down fast. We cut a hole in the bottle so air could come out because the air would be trapped in and the air would make the plane heavier and it would crash.

Then, we did an experiment, which object would drop first the paper roll, cardboard roll, or the plastic bottle. The force gravity made the objects come down at different speeds. After that, we made a paper fuselage and paper wings because paper was the lightest object to fall. We put a curve on top of the wings so it can create more lift by creating fast air on top and slow air on the bottom. The curve created larger surface area which also has more room for the air to go. It needs more surface area for lift to increase.

Last, we used an oval shape paper wing on top of the fuselage, which was a straw. We made the ailerons flat so it can’t create drag because that will make the plane slow down. We also made the wings flat so it could be streamlined like a knife cutting through the air.

This expedition taught me how the four forces act on a plane and how the physics of flight can include other interesting things that are active on a plane.

Building a Flying Machine

By: Santana Bryant

First, we used cardboard for the wings and the body because we thought it would fly better.

Then, we put fabric on the wings because we thought the fabric was going to catch the air and create lift. But, it went straight to the ground.

Next, we used paper and put straws in it because we thought that would make it go straight. Then, we closed it with two circle papers so the straws wouldn’t fall out. Then, we put the wings on it and it didn’t fly.

So, we tried something else. Then, we figured it out! We made a new flying machine with a cone shape because it is streamlined and can fight air resistance.

Then, we added wings that we thought would fit. They worked so we flew the plane and it worked! We were so happy that it worked!

I think our airplane was successful because it flew better than the other planes that we made. The shape of our plane helped create thrust and fight off drag. The wings on our plane helped create lift and fight off gravity.

Building a Flying Machine

By: Myles McKever

Our first flying machine was more like a parachute plane. It had popsicle sticks to keep it straight and the top was made out of paper. It didn’t have wings, but we thought the air pushing up on the parachute would keep it up, but we didn’t have enough air flow and we had too much weight, so it went down. There was more gravity than lift.

Next, we planned what our new plane was going to look like. It was going to have four cardboard wings and a cardboard body. We wanted it to look like this because we thought the fours wings would work together and create more lift. We thought the cardboard body would create more lift since it had a hole in the cardboard body.

Next, we built it but we found out it was still too heavy. Then, we took away two wings and we added fabric on the wings. We wanted to add fabric on the wings so the air flow on the bottom of the plane would push the plane up since the fabric was covering the whole wing. The fabric didn’t really work because it made the plane too light, so it couldn’t cut through the air. There was not enough thrust. Even though it was aerodynamic, it still didn’t work.

Last, we added paper wings, but we stuck with the cardboard body. We tried to make the wings curved, but it wasn’t curved enough. They have to be curved so they can have more surface area. We added some cut up paper to put on the body so it could make it lighter and create more lift. We also put pencils in our plane to create more thrust because pencils are aerodynamic. But, instead of it creating more thrust it created more drag because the pencils were not sharp enough and the point has to be sharp to cut through the air. So, we had to take the pencils out of the plane.

One thing that was successful was when we wanted the plane to be lighter, but everything else was not successful. We learned that is has to be aerodynamic to cut through the air. An aerodynamic shape is pointy and the body is streamlined. Since our body was made out of cardboard and did not have a pointy nose, it was not aerodynamic enough to fight off drag and gravity. Next time, I would build a plane with a pointy front and a streamlined shape, so that thrust and lift would be the strongest forces.

Building a Flying Machine

By: Jude Lucas

At first, we planned to make a flying machine made out of cardboard because cardboard is very strong. We also planned to have parachutes because it would drag or slow the flying machine. Drag is when air or water slows you down. We also thought the parachute would fight off gravity. Gravity brings you down.

Next, the cardboard didn’t work. We made a new plane. It was made of paper and a cup. We did paper because it was light. We also learned that during an experiment paper falls slower than other stuff. We nicknamed it “the flying possum.” The flying possum had a nose, a streamlined shape, and fought off drag. It also had a paper cup fuselage.

Third, we realized that the flying possum needed some work because we thought it needed to be more streamlined or slanted. We added more paper to create lift because we thought that more paper would make the plane stay up longer.

Fourth, we tested it. The longest time was 2 seconds. The flying possum was successful!

Fifth, we made another plane because we thought if the flying possum was successful, we could made another successful flying machine.. It was made of sticks and paper. We have now tested it. It flew approximately 3 seconds. The materials we used were useful in many ways because they helped us create some of the four forces.

Overall, our flying machine is good, but there is still much work to be done. By changing the flying machine, we can make it even more successful! That’s what a strong scientist would do!

Building a Flying Machine

By: Elliott Vanderbilt

At first, we made the fuselage out of Styrofoam because we thought since the Styrofoam is light it would prevent gravity from pulling the plane down so it will stay up longer. And the wings were made out of cardboard and they were slanted. They were slanted because the Wright Brother’s wings were slanted and we know that if they are slanted they can go through the air faster, preventing drag. Drag is a force that pulls you back. It did not succeed.

Next, our fuselage was a bottle. We cut off the front and back of the bottle because we thought that air will run through and fight off drag and thrust will take over and let the plane go forward. And the wings were made out of cardboard.

After that, we learned that we were wrong. All our theories were wrong, so we went back to the drawing board and we made another plane that had a skinny piece of cardboard for the fuselage because we thought that air will go under and above it. The air will take it and make it go forward. This is called thrust. We made the fuselage streamlined because we know it will go forward faster if it has a pointy, skinny, and curved shape. On our wings we made ailerons because we wanted the plane to be balanced. Ailerons help the plane go straight and stay balanced.

Last, our flying machine was a kite. We used a lot of paper so it would be more streamlined and go up faster and stay up. Finally, the kite worked and we were so excited. We did it!

This expedition taught me that flight is so much more than airplanes and passengers. It is also about gravity, drag, thrust, and lift – The four forces!

Building a Flying Machine

By: Franklin Coles Henderson

At first, we used all paper because we thought it was the lightest object and we also thought the lighter the object, the more thrust it had. But since it had a lot of blue tape, it made the plane heavy and fall down.

Then, we used a bottle for the fuselage and a rubber band for the slingshot. We wanted a slingshot because then it can thrust the plane forward. We cut a hole in the bottom because then the air could flow through the bottle, but the bottle went straight down because of gravity.

Then, we learned about lift and the shape of a wing. I learned that to have lift, it doesn’t matter about the weight, it matters about the shape of the wing. So, we used cardboard for the fuselage and paper for the wings. We made the wings curved on the top because then the air can go fast, like going down a hill in your car or on a bike. If the air is going so fast it cannot push the plane down. On the bottom, the air is going slow because the bottom is flat. The air is going straight forward at a walking pace. Slow moving air can push the plane up, creating more lift than gravity.

Over all, our flying machine fell down because of gravity. Gravity was usually the strongest force. We made a lot of changes to fight off gravity, but in the end gravity won and pulled our plane down.

Building a Flying Machine

By: Payton Fordyce

First, we made a paper airplane, but lift and thrust were not working. Gravity and drag were working because the plane kept going down and turning backwards. So, we made an airplane with a water bottle and we cut the bottom out because we wanted lots of air flow to increase thrust. We threw it forward, but it did not have wings so it just fell to the ground and the sling shot just made it go down.

Next, we learned a lot about the forces and how a plane operates. We had a list of things to add. We needed ailerons, a tail, a nose, and flaps. We tried to add those things, but we didn’t know how to make all those parts or what materials to use.

Next, we did an airplane with a paper towel roll and paper plates. We cut the paper plates in half to make wings. Then, we super glued it to the paper towel roll. We were preflighting (getting ready to fly it). We stood on a table and threw it for take-off. We tried to get it to cruise but it just descended.

Then, we did two experiments. First, we did a balloon rocket. This showed us how air can go backward and the plane goes forward. This experiment taught us we should have a lot of air flow, which is why we cut a hole in our bottle.

Our next experiment was a hallway experiment. We had paper, cardboard, and a water bottle. We dropped it and whichever one hit first or second we don’t want to use because we want the lightest material. The water bottle hit first, so we don’t want to use that. The cardboard hit second so we don’t want to use that. The paper hit last, so we want to use that.

So, since the balloon rocket worked, we decided to combine a paper airplane that was light with a successful balloon rocket. So, on top of the balloon we put the airplane. We let the air out and it went a little bit but not a lot. We tried to see what was wrong. We did not stretch the chairs out far enough. Although we didn’t get to test it again with longer string, I think if we had more string and a slanted path, it would have worked.

We later learned that size and shape matter, the weight does not matter, so we made a plane with large wings and a curved shape. That plane kind of worked, but not as good as we expected it to. Overall, our flying machines stayed up longer than a second. They did get through some of the stages of flight, but not all of them. Flying machines need the four forces to be successful.

Building a Flying Machine

By: Lucy Moore

At first we drew plans for our plane. We had a cardboard fuselage (it wasn’t really a fuselage- It didn’t even have a nose) felt connected two cardboard cartons with popsicle sticks shoved into the top which served as wings. It had a sail/parachute thingy on top. It had too much friction. It was at the ground in seconds. Way too much drag. Obviously a failure.

Restarting, our second plane had a paper towel roll fuselage with two popsicle sticks up front in the shape of a sideways triangle (for a nose), with bottle cap wheels and the same sail/parachute thingy! This one was never fully built for a few reasons. 1) We didn’t have any bottle caps. 2) The front popsicle sticks wouldn’t stick. 3) The wings wouldn’t stay in. 4) Halfway through building we discovered that our body was the second heaviest material! Well we stopped building that!

The next generation of our building happened after a few experiments. The first one helped us discover our old plane was too heavy. In the second experiment we learned about surface area which is when air pressure can push up on a wide open space. We got to stand on the table. The last one was an experiment that taught us about how to steer a plane using ailerons, a rudder, and an elevator! It was fun we got to make the planes go up, down, fast, slow, right, left, backward.

Anyway, our third plane had a streamlined nose made of cardboard that looked like a cone, and a piece of paper rolled up for the fuselage. It used to have double wings but it was too heavy so we took off the bottom on the front. We had an elevator, ailerons, and a rudder. We used to have a piece of felt on the top because of Bernoulli’s principle, which is when fast air goes on the top and slow air goes on the bottom. The fast air can’t push the plane down because it’s

putting all its’ energy into going fast, but the slow air can push because it’s going slow. When the slow air pushes it’s called lift. Lift is important in flight. Without it a plane wouldn’t be able to even get off the runway let alone start to climb. Oh yeah, climbing is when an airplane is going to get to the right altitude/height to begin to cruise (cruising is when the plane slowly moves forward like a ship when there’s no waves and all the forces are balanced. Yep every last one- gravity, lift, thrust, and drag. Ok back to the story.)

The test result was… drum roll please… louder I can’t hear you! A failure! I know what you’re thinking “how was that a failure?!” Truth is I have no idea. None what-so ever. So, don’t ask just move on! To get our minds off the very th very very dramatic failure, I’m going to tell you about our 1, 2, 3, 4 ​ plane. We ​ made a glider yeah you heard me right a glider the contraption that…has no engines, often has a lot of turbulence (that means it’s bumpy), only goes slow, can’t have a lot of weight, is very unsafe, has no real power only wind power, ​ ​ and is nearly impossible to control from the ground. But, despite all this we still built a glider! It was a paper airplane with extra bits of paper on the wings with bits of cut up straw on the bottom of the wings. Then, connected by string was a parachute it was strong paper with straws. The string was tied to one of the straws. It never was tested.

Overall, our planes didn’t work. It is not nearly as easy as it looks. I wonder how scientists do it? Most of the time I don’t think I built a successful machine. Well at least I learned a lot and I hope you did too!

Building a Flying Machine

By: Ella Bishop

Hello my partner and I wanted to tell you about our flying machines. At first we made a paper fuselage that means body. Then we added cardboard wings, but when we tested it we were disappointed that it didn’t fly!

So, we decided to make another plane. We added a nose to it. That means a point. Because we didn’t at first. This time we made paper wings and a paper bag to create drag when it’s landing. Drag is a force that slows you down using air resistance or water. The paper bag is acting like a parachute. The air would get stopped by the parachute and it would help it go down slowly. Even though we used the smallest bag it still made too much drag.

So, we chose to make another plane. We decided to make a paper airplane because it is the easiest design. We had two kinds of paper- thin paper and tough paper. We choose the thin because the thick piece couldn’t cut through the air as well! We also made a paper airplane because the shape is aerodynamic. That means it has a sharp, pointy nose that cuts through the air. This helps the plane fight off drag. On our paper airplane we made big wings because it could have more lift. The more surface area the more it can have lift.

This expedition taught me you need to try a few times before you get it right, like the Wright Brothers. The End.

Building a Flying Machine

By: Maeve Slevin

First, I made a helicopter thing with a popsicle stick propeller, a paper clip box about the size of three unifix cubes, and a rubber band. I attached the parts but it never flew. All it did was fall to the ground. Zyah was too busy building another flying machine that was mostly made out of paper, cardboard, and tape.

Next, we used crumbled up foam, a plastic bottle, tape, and cardboard. We put crumbled-up foam in the bottle for the fuselage because Zyah said it would help the plane fly. We used cardboard for the wings because we thought it would be sturdy but it was not.

Then, we started making another plane made mostly out of paper, paper plates, and tape. I made the fuselage and the nose out of paper and tape. Zyah made the wings. We put the parts together but when I was making improvements to the plane, Zyah started to make another plane without me knowing! When expedition was done Ms. LaKiesha said “You have to only have ONE plane” so we decided to keep the one we made out of paper because it was lighter and we thought paper would be the lightest so it could fly. But it was too heavy to fly.

Then, we learned about a force called thrust, thrust pushes you forward. Ms. Lindsay made a balloon rocket attached to a string. It flew across the room on its string! It also inspired us to put a balloon on our plane next time we build flying machines. We made a paper plane with a paper clip in front and a balloon on the top. We didn’t use a string because how would we connect a string to the sky? We tried it out but all it did was fall to the ground.

We tried again and this time we made a small kite. We made a small paper diamond and crossed straws and tape over it, then we attached a string to the middle and a straw to the back for a tale. It was too small to fly.

Finally, we came to a stop because we needed to write this story, the one that you’re reading right now.

Overall, our flying machines were not vary successful. Even though we tried to change the weight, surface area, and shape of the wings, gravity kept taking over and pulling our planes down. We learned that it’s very difficult to make a plane that actually works. It takes a lot of confidence and time! ​ ​

Building a Flying Machine

By: Rashaad Short

An airplane needs an engine because it makes the plane go fast and forward. The engine makes thrust.

It also needs wings because the wings help it go up. The air is pushing the wings up to make lift.

A plane also needs a nose and body because it makes the air go over the plane. It helps the plane fight off drag. Drag makes the plane slow down. The plane only wants drag and gravity when it’s cruising and landing.

The most important thing I learned is that the plane needs a force to fly.

Building a Flying Machine

By: Zyah Brown

Air is all around the plane and makes drag. It comes toward the front of the plane and pushes it backwards slowing it down. The ailerons, the elevator, tail, and rudder help steer the plane in different ways.

The plane needs the nose and the fuselage because they are aerodynamic so they can cut through the air like a knife cutting through butter. These parts fight off drag.

The engine creates thrust. It sucks air in the front and shoots it out the back. This helps the plane go forward.

The wings are used for lift. The air goes on top and on the bottom of the wings and pushes it up. Gravity pulls the plane down when the plane is descending and landing it needs gravity.

I liked learning about the parts of a plane because I learned more about planes and how the plane moves using the four forces of flight. We need lift to go up. We need gravity or weight to go down. We need thrust to make us go forward and we need drag to make us go backwards. I hope you guys learned a lot about the parts of a plane and the forces of flight from reading my paper.

Building a Flying Machine

By: Micah Anderson

First, we made a plan. We had a lot of light materials. We thought it would be easy for the machine to fly, but it was hard. We built a plane from cardboard, plates, tape, and paper. We tested it out and it went straight down. It did not fly at all. Our first plane had too much gravity because it went straight down.

Second, we built a glider. We thought, like the Wright Brothers, we could build a glider because they were very good at building it. We learned that it flew for 12 seconds. We built a paper airplane glider with added strips of paper for the wings to add surface area. This would help us with lift. Lift pushes the wings up with air. Also, we used a balloon so it can use thrust. I learned that thrust makes the plane go forward, drag pulls the plane backwards, lift pushes it into the air and gravity pulls the plane down. We never tested it but we will. We built another one just in case the glider didn’t work.

Third, we used cardboard for the point at the top. The point on the front is called the nose. We used paper for the body. Then, we used paper for wings. It didn’t fly long. It flew for 4 seconds only.

Fourth, we used popsicle sticks for the wings because it was shaped like the ones we saw on planes with 4 wings at the museum. We got a letter and it said that weight didn’t matter, so we put half heavy things and half-light things. The air pressure mattered more so we changed the wings so it can be thinner. The fourth plane it flew the longest. It flew for 6 seconds. We thought we improved our fourth plane. It was good.

We learned how a plane flies using the 4 forces of flight. It helped us to build a successful plane that use the 4 forces of flight.

Building a Flying Machine

By: Nicolas Littlejohn

First, we started with paper and tape and made a fuselage. A fuselage is a body of a plane. Next, we made the wings. We made the wings out of cardboard because we thought that the cardboard would help the plane fly.

Then, we thought of when we went to the College Park Museum and got to control the ailerons so we made ailerons. Ailerons are on the wings and they help a plane stay in control. After that, we flew the plane and the plane went straight down to the ground, so we decided to make a different plane because the plane we made was not flying like we thought it was going to. Gravity was the strongest force and it was taking our plane down.

After that, we learned about the four forces of flight. We learned that if all the four forces are working together the plane is cruising in the air. We wanted the wings to have air pressure. We created air pressure by making ailerons on the wings. This will help create lift. Lift is a force that brings the plane up. We also made the plane aerodynamic so the plane can cut through the air. This will create thrust and fight off drag. Drag is a force that slows the plane down.

Finally, we flew the plane and it flew straight up for about three seconds and then down! Over all, our flying machine was successful. One way it was successful was by just flying like we wanted!

I learned about the phases of flight and what they do. The phases of flight helped me make my plane by teaching me that the forces of flight need to work together to be successful.

Building a Flying Machine

By: Clifton Holmes

First, we made a plane out of cardboard with a parachute. We added a parachute because it will not go so fast to the ground because the parachute will help lift it up. A parachute has more air flow so lift can be stronger than gravity. It did not work because the cardboard was too heavy and went straight down.

Second, we made a plane with paper and cardboard because your plane at least needs some weight. The wings were made out of paper and the fuselage was made out of cardboard. It worked better than our first plane, but it still fell to the ground early.

Third, we made a plane with paper, cardboard, straws, and a sentence strip. The sentence strip helped to curve the wings to push it up in the air. We used straws so it will catch more air. It went straight for a little bit then went down. I tried to curve the wings to create lift but it did not work. Gravity was still the strongest.

Fourth, we made a plane with all cardboard and straws to make it catch air. We made a plane with all cardboard because all the planes in real life has a lot of weight and we put straws on the fuselage. The straws were to help the air go through the plane to create thrust. The air goes backward and the plane goes forwards. The fourth plane was too heavy and it went straight up and down. Gravity was still the strongest.

Last, we made a paper airplane because we learned from the bottle, cardboard, and paper challenge that paper stayed in the air longest so we made a paper

airplane! The plane was working well. The strongest forces were lift and thrust because it went straight and up.

In this expedition I learned about the phases of flight, the 4 forces of flight, and the history of flight. All I learned helped me make airplanes.

Building a Flying Machine

By: Marielle Cain

At first we made a plane using taped together straws for the fuselage and wings made out of foam and were planning to use some cardboard for some propellers but we never got to it.

We used straws for the body because we thought it would be light and thought air could flow through the plane. We used foam for the wings because we also thought that foam would make good wings because we hadn't learned much about flight so we thought they just had to look like wings.

Next, we made a fuselage made out of a bottle because we thought it would be light and lots of air could flow through it so lift could be stronger on the plane. Then, we made wings out of cardboard and cut a slot through the middle of the bottle to put the wings in it. Then, we added pieces of folder to the wings because of air flow so we added them because it would kind of be like a parachute and catch the plane if it was starting to fall. But that didn't work either. It was too heavy and we hadn't learned about surface area yet.

Next, we did an experiment where we dropped a plastic bottle, a paper towel roll, and a piece of paper that was rolled up to see which would fall the fastest and which would fall the slowest so it would help out our other planes fly. The bottle was always first because it was the heaviest and the paper was always the last because it was the lightest. After that experiment, and even before, we thought that the weight mattered more than almost anything.

Then, we learned that there’s a thing called surface area from a scientist who gave us a letter to say that the weight didn't actually matter that much. Surface

area is how much space the plane has to catch air so the air can lift the plane up into the sky.

Then, we made a plane made out of a roll of paper for the fuselage and folder pieces for the wings to increase the surface area. Then, we put pieces of straws under the wings to create air flow. Then, we made a plane with a rolled up piece of paper for a body because it was light and we thought it would make a good body for the plane like last time. And we made the wings out of paper plates because they had a lot of surface area.

Next we made a kite out of a folder shaped like a diamond. We made the frame out of 4 straws. And we taped the straws to the back of the kite. We made the tail out of one red straw. We made the handle for the string out of straws and we took 2 pieces of string and taped them together. We wrapped the string around the straws and we connected the string to the kite by wrapping it around one of the straws and taping it to the straws. Overall we learned a lot about flight and how flying machines fly. We had a lot of fun in our expedition and you will too!