Students from Lexington Park Elementary School give a thumbs-up as they “take to the skies” during their simulator flight at the Patuxent River Naval Air Museum. (U.S. Navy photo by Kaitlin Wicker)
LEXINGTON PARK, Md. – Fifth grade students at Lexington Park Elementary saw their classroom instruction come to life thanks to a partnership with the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD) Strategic Education Office (SEO). From call signs and cross-country flight planning to pilot presentations, a tour of the Patuxent River Naval Air Museum and flight time in the museum’s simulators, students were introduced to the excitement of aviation and the professional possibilities it holds.
With help from instructors at the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School (USNTPS) and Marine aviators from the Light/Attack Helicopter Program Office (PMA-276), the students got a firsthand view of how the work done at Naval Air Station Patuxent River supports the fleet and makes for a really cool job.
“It was a team effort, and I’m so thankful for everyone’s willingness to support this investment in our community and our future,” said Ellen Servetnick, SEO team lead. “We showed a new generation the endless possibilities of aviation and flight test.”
Lexington Park Elementary School teachers developed the flight science curriculum as an interdisciplinary unit — that is, a unit that combines standards from all subject areas — centering on a topic of interest to fifth graders. Then, to create a more hands-on experience, teacher Tammy Belisario and her team reached out to the NAWCAD SEO to ask the base for help making the learning more memorable.
“I wanted something that would excite them and make them want to learn,” Belisario said. “All teachers hope that the material they teach is engaging enough to stay with the students, but we also realize that without excitement for learning, the likelihood of that happening is small.”
So, with the resources of NAWCAD behind them, and thanks to a grant from the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense (Research and Engineering), the flight science curriculum went from pencil and paper to pilots and simulators.
Lt. Cmdr. Ryan Brack and Chris Mattei, instructors at the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School, speak with Lexington Park Elementary School fifth graders as part of the flight science curriculum. The hands-on curriculum was designed by teachers at the school and executed in coordination with the NAWCAD Strategic Education Office. (U.S. Navy photo by Kaitlin Wicker)
The students created call signs for each other, drew name patches, developed flight plans and ran calculations to see which student’s cross-country plan would make it from one coast to the other the fastest. The students then had the opportunity to speak with pilots from the base. After hearing a presentation from instructors at USNTPS and pilots from PMA-276 about the diverse professional opportunities in aviation, as well as the importance of education in the path to those jobs, the floor was open for questions. Students wanted to know all about their jobs, how the various planes work, what they get to do in flight test and how they got their call signs.
“By having real test pilots speak with our students about their profession, students’ eyes were opened to new career opportunities and a better understanding of the forces of flight with different planes,” Belisario said.
Then, the students took to the skies — virtually at least. After a tour of the Patuxent River Naval Air Museum, including hands-on opportunities to investigate air movement and wind, air pressure, and air navigation, each student had an opportunity to fly in one of the museum’s simulators.
“After this unit, many students, especially the girls, felt like being a pilot was something they could now think about as a possible career,” said Belisario. “From experiencing it at the museum, listening to the expert guest test pilots, and learning about it in our classroom lessons and cooperative learning activities, their eyes were opened to something new, and that’s a dream ‘test’ for any educator.”