Alternative Grades 4, 5 & 6

"Welcome to Room 27"

In our class, Room 27, we did a theme on flight. Each student made his/her own project on any category of flight or on an airplane. We went to the Winnipeg Flying Club where we got to have a ride in a small 4-seat Cessna. This was a very extreme experience for all of us who have never been in a plane before.

Hot Air Balloons - by Kyrstin

A balloon can be used for many reasons. It could be used for advertising, entertainment, or just for fun. The first hot air balloon to fly was built by the Montgolfier Brothers on November 21^st, 1783. To test their balloon they sent a duck, a sheep, and a rooster in a big wicker hamper into the air. The hamper was tied to a rope fastened tightly on the ground. The animals landed safely. This was the first flight in the history of man.

In order to launch a hot air balloon the pilot needs to have a large open area. First they need to lay out the canopy as a large fan fills it with air. Once the canopy is half filled with air, the burner is started and heats the air in the canopy. Once the air in the canopy is completely heated the balloon begins to rise. The reason the balloon rises is because hot air molecules expand cuasing the air outside to weigh more than in the inside. To keep the balloon aloft the pilot must turn on the burner approximately every 30 seconds. To lower the balloon quickly the pilot pulls the cord that opens the parachute vent, also know as the crown, to let the warm air out of the top. The pilot can only move the balloon in vertical movement the wind controls the horizontal movement.

There are many interesting facts about hot air balloons. In the 19^th century, ballooning was a high class society sport. There was, and still are, competitions on which balloons can go the farthest, which balloons can be aloft the longest, or for decoration. Professional aeronauts would ride from the load ring to make room for joy riding clients. On the way to competitions the balloons look like a lump of straw on a metal basket.

A hot air balloon deflated and laid out flat can cover approximately four tennis courts. When it is inflated the balloon can be 80 feet in height. Most hot air blaoons are bright and colourful. They can come in many different shapes and sizes.

The Hindenburg - by Haley

For the last few month we have been studying fight. We have gone to many different places on fieldtrips. My favorite fieldtrip was when we went to St. Andrews Airport. Close to the end of our study on flight we did projects. I choose to do the Hindenburg for my project.

The Hindenburg holds the record for being the largest aircraft ever flown. The Hindenburg burned after a flight from Germany to U.S.A. and back. People often say that there was a bomb on the aircraft when it caught fire.

The Hindenburg was only 78 feet shorter than the Titanic. The maximum speed was 84.4 miles per hour or 135 kmperhour. One of the gasses that filled the envelope was hydrogen. The Hindenburg was 303.8 feet in length and 135 feet in diameter.

The Hindenburg had a baby grand piano on board. The piano’s weight was 397 pounds. The Hindenburg usually flew from Frankfurt, Germany to Lakehurst, New Jersey U.S.A. That is where the Hindenburg crashed at 7:25 P.M. on May. 6 1936. There were 97 people on board the Hindenburg when it crashed, 35 of the people onboard were killed. The Hindenburg had a smoking room, it had only 1 lighter and it was nailed down. The Hindenburg flew over the 1936 Berlin Olympic games. Count Von Zeppelin and the markers took about 5 years to bulid the Hindenburg. It takes about 72-76 hours to get to U.S.A and about 58-62 hours to get back to Germany. It cost $400 a ticket in 1937 to fly on the Hindenburg.

The B-17 Flying Fortress - by Franz

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There are many different factors that cause an airplane to fly. All airplanes need wings in order to fly. The propeller is like a spinning wing. As the propellers spin air is pushed out the back and thrusts the plane forward across the ground and in the air. An airplane needs fast moving air over the wings to make it fly. When the fast moving air is over the wing it creates low pressure and when it is under the wing it creates high pressure, creating lift.

Ailerons are located at the back of the wing and control the roll. Elevators are found on the back of the horizontal stabilizer and control the pitch of the plane. The rudder controls the left and right movement of the plane, which is called yaw. When the flaps are lowered it creates drag which slows the plane down. The fuselage is the main body housing pretty much every thing including the cockpit. The cockpit is the nerve center of the plane. This is were the pilot sits.

The Boeing B17 Flying Fortress is a four engine, high level, heavy bomber made by the Boeing Company. It is powered by four wright cyclone turbo charged engines each with 1,200 horse power. Although it could only go at three hundred miles per hour, it broke many records for distance covered with full loads. It has a crew of ten, and from nine to thirteen offensive machine guns and 17,600 pounds of bombs, but it normally carries 8000.

For the last two months are class has been studying flight. Our class has gone on lots of fieldtrips. One of my favourite fieldtrip is when we went to the St. Andrews Airport. We got to fly in a airplane.

The Boeing 747 - by Cody

There are many differrent facts about the Boeing 747, such as the Boeing 747 is the biggest jumbo jet ever. It can carry more than 490 passengers. The fuselage can hold 47,000 gallons of fuel. The height from the top of the aircraft to the tail is 62 ft. The Boeing 747 commercial airliner came out on February 9, 1969. The speed is about 610 miles per hour. Also, it was the first jumbo jet in the air.

The main deck on the Boeing 747 is 57m. The width is 195 ft. The height of the airplane is the same as a five story building. In the Boeing 747 there are five emergency exits. The Boeing 747 weighs 800,000 pounds. It is the biggest commercial airliner in the world.

Ailerons are located on the back of the wings and control the roll of the airplane. Elevators are found on the back of the horizontal stabilizer and control the pitch of the plane. The rudder controls the left and right movement of the plane, which is called yaw. When the flaps are lowered it creates drag and the plane slows down. The fuselage is the body of the airplane that carries all the fuel so the plane can fly. Without the fuel the plane would only glide. The cockpit is where the pilot controls the parts of the plane and how fast it is going as well as how much fuel it has.

There are many different factors that cause an airplane to fly. All airplanes need wings in order to fly. The cold air gets pulled in to the jet intake and gets warmed up and the warm air expands and is driven out by the turbines creating thrust. Thrust makes the airplane move forward across the ground and in the air. An airplane needs fast moving air over the wings to make it fly. When the fast moving air flows over the wings it creates low pressure on top of the wing and high pressure on the bottom of the wings, creating lift.

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