Airplanes Everywhere: Land, Water, Sky, Oh My!
Airplanes are vital to our society and economy.Copyright 2007 Imre Solt, Wikimedia Commons http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Taxiing_Airplanes_at_DXB_on_13_November_2007.jpg
This lesson focuses on the importance of airplanes in today's society. Airplanes of all shapes and sizes are used for hundreds of different reasons, including recreation, commercial business, public transportation, and delivery of goods, among many others. From transporting people to crop-dusting, our society and our economy have come to depend on airplanes. Students discuss their own experiences with airplanes, and using the associated activity, learn more about the role of airplanes in our world.
Many different types of aircraft have beenn created for many different roles—commercial, general, transport and military—and engineers are responsible for designing and building them all. Engineers take into consideration the purpose of an airplane when they are designing it. Over the years, engineers have advanced the design of airplanes so they are more sophisticated and specialized. Engineers also design and build the aircraft support systems and structures, such as runways, airports, radar communications, and scheduling.
After this lesson, students should be able to:
- Identify the historical context of airplanes as relatively new compared to other modes of transportation.
- Describe the use of airplanes in the transportation of goods and services.
- Describe examples of how technology can affect individuals and communities.
- Describe engineering-related contributions to aviation.