Science at Edmonton’s Aviation Museum!
By: Al Olsen
(Featured in the September/October 2023 Newsletter)
The aviation museum proudly announces our Theory of Flight programs that connect with Alberta’s grade five and six curriculum featuring Air and Aerodynamics or Flight Units. They cover topics: Properties of Air, Four Forces of Flight, Parts of Aircrafts, Stability, Three Axes of Rotation, and Control surfaces. We offer multiple programs that accommodate many different styles of schedules. All programs run Monday to Friday with various start times and costs.
Our full day program includes a history tour and time to apply learning in our flight simulator lab. This has a start time of 9:15 am and runs till 2:15 pm. This is ideal for classes who want a slower pace or a more in-depth look into the four forces of flight. This is for a maximum of 32 students. The cost is $13 per student.
Our two or four-hour long program includes our theory flight tours with time in our simulator lab. This program has a maximum of 64 students. The museum offers various start times with a lunch break 90 minutes after the program starts. This option provides more flexibility. Tours spend more time moving around the museum and include some self-guided time for students to explore on their own. Tours with 1-32 students receive 90 minutes of facilitated programing with the option to add self-guided time after. Students will be divided into two groups for an hour-long tour and 30 minutes on our simulators. Groups with more than 32 students will receive a 180-minute facilitated program. Groups who want lunch at the museum should add 20 minutes to their visit duration. They will be divided into four groups and spend 45 on each: four forces tours, flight simulators, control surfaces, history tour, and time to wander around the museum on their own. Please arrive ten minutes early. The cost is $10 per student.
Our shortest program is 1 or 2.5 hours long and has a maximum of 64 students. Groups over 64 students may be able to visit on the same day but are typically asked to visit in separate groups (a morning and an afternoon session). Simulators are not available for groups of 64 students. This costs $10 per child.
New to the museum is the option of a virtual Q & A session that would include access to our Theory of Flight and exclusive videos on the Four Forces of Flight along with control surfaces. Students will receive access for two weeks. The format is as follows: A five-minute introduction to the museum, a ten-minute review of the Four Forces and Control Surfaces, followed by a 30-minute live session with an expert from our aviation museum. The cost is $100 for live session and access to Theory of Flight videos, $20 per class to add an additional class(es).