Aeronautics Badge

As we were unable to get into the annual Guide Engineering Day at McMaster University, we decided to hold our own engineering night and earn the Aeronautics Badge during the first week back to Guides following March Break.

As the girls arrived, they were provided with paper and markers and asked to make paper airplanes. We started the meeting with our usual opening and an active game.

We then began with a discussion about engineering, aviation and space. Our first activity was to identify the different parts of an aircraft and their role in flight. We did this with a large picture of an airplane and label cards that could be stuck to the picture as each part was identified.

(A) Ailerons - moving parts, attached to the rear edge of an airplane's wings, that help the airplane to roll (or bank) left or right.
(B) Cockpit - the place where the pilot sits to fly the airplane. It contains the instruments and controls.
(C) Elevators - the moving horizontal parts of the tail on an airplane that move up and down to make the airplane climb or descend, or pitch.
(D) Flaps - the moving parts attached to the rear edge of an airplane's wings that are used to increase lift and drag at reduced airspeeds (take-off and landing).
(E) Fuselage - the streamlined body of an airplane to which are fastened the wings and tail.
(F) Landing Gear - the under structure (wheels, skis or pontoons) of an airplane which supports it on land or water. Retractable gear folds up into the airplane in flight. A fixed gear does not retract or fold up.
(G) Propeller - two or more twisted blades which an engine turns which pull an airplane forward as they turn.
(H) Rudder - the moving vertical part of the tail that controls the left to right, or yaw, movement of an airplane's nose.
(I) Wings - the part of an airplane shaped like an airfoil and designed in such a way as to provide lift when air flows around it.

Next, we made gliders out of styrofoam plates and tried flying them. When a paperclip or other weight was added to the nose, they were able to go much further!

We then played an Aircraft Matching Game to help the girls learn about different types of aircraft. The cards were cut apart and each Patrol used the cards to play Memory.

The Guides who attended Winter Camp learned about the Phonetic Alphabet, so we had a quick review and then had the girls try to read different messages using the alphabet.

     A - Alfa                                N - November

     B - Bravo                             O - Oscar

     C - Charlie                           P - Papa

     D - Delta                              Q - Quebec

     E - Echo                              R - Romeo

     F - Foxtrot                           S - Sierra

     G - Golf                               T - Tango

     H - Hotel                             U - Uniform

     I - India                               V - Victor

     J - Juliet                              W - Whiskey

     K - Kilo                                X - X-Ray

     L - Lima                               Y - Yankee

     M - Mike                              Z - Zulu

(1) (Foxtrot Lima Yankee India November Golf) (India Sierra) (Foxtrot Uniform November).  
FLYING IS FUN

(2) (Bravo India Romeo Delta Sierra) (Golf Alfa Victor Echo) (Papa Echo Oscar Papa Lima Echo) (Tango Hotel Echo) (India Delta Echo Alfa) (Tango Oscar) (Foxtrot Lima Yankee)  
BIRDS GAVE PEOPLE THE IDEA TO FLY

(3) (Alfa India Romeo Papa Lima November Echo Sierra) (Hotel Echo Lima Papa) (Papa Echo Oscar Papa Lima Echo)  
AIRPLANES HELP PEOPLE

Our final activity was split between making and flying paper airplanes and designing kits (which unfortunately we couldn't try to fly in our meeting place!).

We ended the evening with a fun song and Taps.