A Journey in Mentoring
AMA member Don Szczur, an electrical engineer and accomplished competition pilot, was challenged by a friend to give back to the hobby. He chose to do so by educating youth.
Don’s son, Joseph, started middle school in 2013 and was looking for an activity that would help him make friends while sharing his passion for model aviation. This activity became the Rocky Run Middle School Aerospace Engineering Model Airplane Student Club (MASC). By the time the club celebrated its one-year anniversary, it had grown from six active members to 17.
The students recruited more members by adding "Aerospace Engineering" to the club’s name. This also captured the attention of parents hungry for their kids to participate in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM)-related after-school activities.
Curriculum and teaching approach
Club members were introduced to engineering concepts that were reinforced by simple hands-on projects. Each meeting began with a 10-minute lesson on aerodynamics. Club members learned about the Wright brothers, then were asked to solve three foundational problems:
- Lift
- Stability
- Control
Everything the club did circled back to learning about those three foundational problems.
Projects
- Walkalong glider
The first project was a walkalong glider. The aircraft is a great way to introduce aerodynamics, is simple to construct, and always flies well. These lightweight gliders sustain flight by being pushed along by a wave of air.
- Jagwing variant and materials
A variety of walkalong glider designs were tested and the club chose a variant of the Jagwing walkalong glider design, cut from thin, hot-wire-sliced scrap foam block used for computer packaging.
- Z-15 rubber-powered stick model
The second project was a basic rubber-powered stick model called the Z-15.
- Team-design concept and RC conversion
The third project was a team-design concept in which club members applied what they had learned. Three teams designed their own glider from inexpensive foam material. The glider that flew best would be converted to radio control (RC) for each student to fly. The teams had some innovative ideas and learned to budget their time for design, building, and test flying. The winning design was a glider the students named Eclipse. It was rewarding to see the expressions on their faces as they watched it fly. The aircraft demonstrated how principles of stability and control were successfully applied.
Get involved
Don challenges you to take the plunge and give back to the hobby by being involved in activities that get young people engaged in model aviation. It will be a lifelong memory for you and the kids.
For more information about forming a MASC, visit the AMA website: www.modelaircraft.org/education/masc.aspx
— submitted by Don Szczur
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
