Flight Adventures - 2012/03

32 Model Aviation march 2012 www.ModelAviation.com
Museum partnership takes flight
Rick Crosslin and a group of children pose with model airplanes. Photo courtesy of
The Children’s Museum (TCM) of Indianapolis.
Curious Scientific Investigators (CSI):
FLIGHT
ADVENTURES
by Rachelle Haughn
[email protected] airplanes, kids, and a movie could be the perfect storm to breed a new generation of aviation enthusiasts.
The AMA has partnered with The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis to create a new multimedia show and
experience titled Curious Scientifi c Investigators (CSI): Flight Adventures. The Indianapolis experience includes
model aircraft displays, hands-on activities, and a fi lm.
Funded through a NASA Competitive Program for Science Museums and Planetariums grant, it is scheduled to open
to the public on February 25, 2012. AMA offi cials hope the partnership will interest more youngsters in aeromodeling,
AMA, and aviation careers.
“The coolest thing is the partnership with the AMA,” said Rick Crosslin, who serves as the school liaison for science
learning at the children’s museum.
“I saw this as an opportunity to become partners with the [children’s] museum,” said Gordon Schimmel, AMA
Education Scholarship Committee Chairman. “I think it’s going to be more than what we hoped it would be,” he said.
www.ModelAviation.com march 2012 Model Aviation 3334 Model Aviation march 2012 www.ModelAviation.com
Rick and Gordon developed the concept
for the show and exhibits.
“I’m hopeful people will go through
that [and come to the National Model
Aviation Museum]. It’s kind of a perfect
storm for our museum. It’s a very
hands-on experience in model aviation,”
said Bill Pritchett, AMA’s education
director. Bill added that information
about the National Model Aviation
Museum, which is located at AMA
Headquarters in Muncie, Indiana, and
AMA enrollment, will be displayed at
the Indianapolis museum.
The multimedia show and exhibit
consists of several pieces throughout
the Indianapolis museum. Some aspects
will be rotated in and out, but others
will remain for years, children’s museum
CEO and President Dr. Jeffrey H.
Patchen said in an email interview. The
key components are the planetarium
movie called CSI Flight Adventures, a
costumed interpreter who will interact
with children and families, special
programs in the SciencePort area, a wind
tunnel, a display of historic models, and
a hands-on interactive area.
Flight Discovery Stations will allow
kids to construct model airplanes and
see how they fl y, and view large models
on display (including a full-scale replica
of Octave Chanute’s 1896 glider).
There also will be several public, family,
and school events. The AMA’s newest
program, AMA Flight School, is expected
to be available on computers at the
Indianapolis museum for children to try.
The nuts and bolts of the project
are education and a focus on science,
technology, engineering, and math
(STEM). “The project is really programheavy
and exhibit light,” Rick explained.
He and Gordon have created a
curriculum guide for teachers to use
for students in grades three through
fi ve. The 68-page booklet includes
information about the science of fl ight,
and guidelines to design, build, test, and
fl y a model aircraft are included.
As a way to introduce the program to
Indiana teachers, an educator networking
night was scheduled for February 16
at the museum. Roughly 500 teachers
were expected to attend, Bill added.
“We will make a presentation [at the
event],” he said. “It gets this [program]
into a classroom where it could create
a demand for fi eldtrips, both there and
here [in Muncie].”
“The biggest thing is going to be the
awareness to teachers,” Rick said. “You
know I’m a science cheerleader. It’s a
win-win situation. We need to get young
people involved so [aeronautics] does
not die out.”
“I think it’s a tremendous opportunity
for promoting the role that model
aviation has in history and education in
general, and it will excite kids to become
engaged in aviation,” Bill added.
Interested teachers were to receive
copies of the fi lm, Flight Adventures,
Curious Scientific Investigators (CSI): Flight adventures
The B-17G that Dan Givney built and Bret Bowling is fl ying starts a bombing run in Team class. The
smoke is designed to simulate contrails that the bombers gave off at altitudes exceeding 20,000 feet.
Rick Crosslin created a wind
tunnel which allows children to
test-fl y objects that they have
created. TCM photo.www.ModelAviation.com march 2012 Model Aviation 35
and an hour-long television special
titled “Wings over Indiana,” which is a
special episode of Indiana Expeditions.
Rick is the host of the television show
and special, which is scheduled to
air March 1 on Indianapolis public
television station WFYI.
In addition to the videos and study
guide, a special website has been created
for teachers to visit. Teacher workshops
will be held, and a fi eldtrip to the
National Model Aviation Museum for
educators is being planned.
Flight Adventures was fi lmed in
the summer of 2011 and produced
in partnership with WFYI. Shooting
locations included the National Model
Aviation Museum and an airport.
“I’ve been working as an advisor for
the script,” said Michael Smith, National
Model Aviation Museum director. He said
that in the part of the movie fi lmed at
the Muncie museum, Sir George Cayley,
the “Father of Aviation,” comes to life and
gives the main character of the fi lm, Artie,
a tour of the museum. Artie learns about
models in the fi lm and rides in a full-scale
airplane with her grandfather.
Michael helped fi nd model airplanes
to use in one of the movie scenes, and
loaned some of the models on display at
the National Model Aviation Museum
to the Indianapolis museum. The
models, owned by NASA, include the
Mothership, the X-33 drop test model,
and the Moth.
With money from the $597,000 grant,
The Children’s Museum purchased
special equipment needed to show
a movie in the planetarium. Flight
Adventures is expected to be played
several times a day, until museum
patrons are no longer interested in
viewing it.
“The fi lm is specifi cally aimed to
inspire kids to want to fl y airplanes, and
to see that models and things that they
fl y today … could lead to careers in
aviation,” Gordon added.
Rick’s television special was set to
be shown February 16 at the educator
networking night, and February 25 and
“The fi lm is specifi cally
aimed to inspire kids
to want to fl y airplanes,
and to see that models
and things that they fl y
today ... could lead to
careers in aviation.”
Another shot of David Wigley’s Westland Wyvern. This model photographs great!
A screen shot from the movie Flight Adventures shows the
main character, Artie (left), taking her fi rst fl ight in a full-scale
airplane. TCM photo.36 Model Aviation march 2012 www.ModelAviation.com
Curious Scientific Investigators (CSI): Flight adventures
26 at the Indianapolis museum. For this
project, he traveled across the country
and fi lmed in locations such as the
sand dunes of North Carolina, Purdue
University in West Lafayette, Indiana,
the NASA Dryden Flight Research
Center in Palmdale, California, various
public schools, and the 2011 AMA
Nats at the International Aeromodeling
Center in Muncie. This television special
will explore Indiana’s connections to the
history and science of aviation, aircraft
modeling and testing, and go behind the
scenes at NASA Dryden.
Besides watching the movie,
children’s museum visitors will have
the opportunity to create fl ying
objects and try them out in a
wind tunnel, which Rick built.
The hands-on activities at the
museum are designed for children
of all ages.
For those who want to test
models at home, “They have
Jetstreams in the museum store
and we have Foam Plate Gliders
(FPG-9s) for sale,” Bill said. “I
think it’s good for kids to learn
how to put things together with
their two little hands,” he added.
Jeffrey said that CSI: Flight
Adventures is a permanent
exhibit at the children’s museum.
Permanent exhibits typically have a
lifespan of 10 to 20 years, he said. “As
long as there is an interest from our
visitors, we will accommodate,” he
wrote. “The multimedia show (as shown
in our planetarium) will be available for
other planetariums and dome screens
across the country in the summer of
2012 and beyond.”
The project has become much more
than what Rick and Gordon envisioned.
The two met in the winter of 2009 in
Washington, D.C., as part of a committee
that reviewed proposals for NASA
grants. Along with working at The
Children’s Museum of Indianapolis
and hosting a television show, Rick is
an Indianapolis-area science teacher.
Gordon looks for ways to educate the
public and youngsters about model
aviation. They decided to apply for a
grant through NASA in hopes of creating
some sort of educational program.
“I’ve always believed aeromodeling
isn’t as prominently emphasized [in
Children build Foam Plate Gliders (FPG9s) at the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis.
TCM photo.
A replica of Octave Chanute’s 1896 glider will hang
in the Sunburst Atrium at The Children’s Museum of
Indianapolis. Peter Doherty photo.terms of careers] as space exploration,”
Gordon said.
“The one thing that a child can
actually grasp is a model,” Rick said.
It took nearly a year to get the grant
request approved. Then, the planning
began.
“Rick Crosslin and Gordon Schimmel
met in 2009 and realized that the world’s
largest children’s museum and the
national headquarters for the Academy
of Model Aeronautics were located
just an hour apart, and felt it would be
a wonderful opportunity for people
to experience both,” Jeffrey wrote.
“We have developed a wonderful and
productive working relationship with the
AMA and believe the partnership has
created a richer and deeper experience
for our visitors,” he said.
Bill said The Children’s Museum of
Indianapolis has one million visitors per
year. “Its traffi c is huge. We’re hopeful
that people will go through that and
realize, Muncie isn’t too far away,” he said.
Jeffrey noted that AMA contributed
to the project by “sharing its expertise
on modeling, the history of fl ight,
the science of fl ight, and aviation
education. It has been integral in
the development of the unit of
study (classroom curriculum), the
multimedia planetarium show, and the
Indiana Expeditions documentary for
WFYI.” Bill fl ew some model airplanes
for the television special.“I think there will be a lot of people
in Muncie for events who stop in
Indianapolis and check out [the
exhibit],” Bill added. He said AMA and
children’s museum offi cials are working
on an agreement for AMA members to
get a discounted admission price to the
Indianapolis museum, and vice versa.
—Rachelle Haughn
[email protected]

32 Model Aviation march 2012 www.ModelAviation.com
Museum partnership takes flight
Rick Crosslin and a group of children pose with model airplanes. Photo courtesy of
The Children’s Museum (TCM) of Indianapolis.
Curious Scientific Investigators (CSI):
FLIGHT
ADVENTURES
by Rachelle Haughn
[email protected] airplanes, kids, and a movie could be the perfect storm to breed a new generation of aviation enthusiasts.
The AMA has partnered with The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis to create a new multimedia show and
experience titled Curious Scientifi c Investigators (CSI): Flight Adventures. The Indianapolis experience includes
model aircraft displays, hands-on activities, and a fi lm.
Funded through a NASA Competitive Program for Science Museums and Planetariums grant, it is scheduled to open
to the public on February 25, 2012. AMA offi cials hope the partnership will interest more youngsters in aeromodeling,
AMA, and aviation careers.
“The coolest thing is the partnership with the AMA,” said Rick Crosslin, who serves as the school liaison for science
learning at the children’s museum.
“I saw this as an opportunity to become partners with the [children’s] museum,” said Gordon Schimmel, AMA
Education Scholarship Committee Chairman. “I think it’s going to be more than what we hoped it would be,” he said.
www.ModelAviation.com march 2012 Model Aviation 3334 Model Aviation march 2012 www.ModelAviation.com
Rick and Gordon developed the concept
for the show and exhibits.
“I’m hopeful people will go through
that [and come to the National Model
Aviation Museum]. It’s kind of a perfect
storm for our museum. It’s a very
hands-on experience in model aviation,”
said Bill Pritchett, AMA’s education
director. Bill added that information
about the National Model Aviation
Museum, which is located at AMA
Headquarters in Muncie, Indiana, and
AMA enrollment, will be displayed at
the Indianapolis museum.
The multimedia show and exhibit
consists of several pieces throughout
the Indianapolis museum. Some aspects
will be rotated in and out, but others
will remain for years, children’s museum
CEO and President Dr. Jeffrey H.
Patchen said in an email interview. The
key components are the planetarium
movie called CSI Flight Adventures, a
costumed interpreter who will interact
with children and families, special
programs in the SciencePort area, a wind
tunnel, a display of historic models, and
a hands-on interactive area.
Flight Discovery Stations will allow
kids to construct model airplanes and
see how they fl y, and view large models
on display (including a full-scale replica
of Octave Chanute’s 1896 glider).
There also will be several public, family,
and school events. The AMA’s newest
program, AMA Flight School, is expected
to be available on computers at the
Indianapolis museum for children to try.
The nuts and bolts of the project
are education and a focus on science,
technology, engineering, and math
(STEM). “The project is really programheavy
and exhibit light,” Rick explained.
He and Gordon have created a
curriculum guide for teachers to use
for students in grades three through
fi ve. The 68-page booklet includes
information about the science of fl ight,
and guidelines to design, build, test, and
fl y a model aircraft are included.
As a way to introduce the program to
Indiana teachers, an educator networking
night was scheduled for February 16
at the museum. Roughly 500 teachers
were expected to attend, Bill added.
“We will make a presentation [at the
event],” he said. “It gets this [program]
into a classroom where it could create
a demand for fi eldtrips, both there and
here [in Muncie].”
“The biggest thing is going to be the
awareness to teachers,” Rick said. “You
know I’m a science cheerleader. It’s a
win-win situation. We need to get young
people involved so [aeronautics] does
not die out.”
“I think it’s a tremendous opportunity
for promoting the role that model
aviation has in history and education in
general, and it will excite kids to become
engaged in aviation,” Bill added.
Interested teachers were to receive
copies of the fi lm, Flight Adventures,
Curious Scientific Investigators (CSI): Flight adventures
The B-17G that Dan Givney built and Bret Bowling is fl ying starts a bombing run in Team class. The
smoke is designed to simulate contrails that the bombers gave off at altitudes exceeding 20,000 feet.
Rick Crosslin created a wind
tunnel which allows children to
test-fl y objects that they have
created. TCM photo.www.ModelAviation.com march 2012 Model Aviation 35
and an hour-long television special
titled “Wings over Indiana,” which is a
special episode of Indiana Expeditions.
Rick is the host of the television show
and special, which is scheduled to
air March 1 on Indianapolis public
television station WFYI.
In addition to the videos and study
guide, a special website has been created
for teachers to visit. Teacher workshops
will be held, and a fi eldtrip to the
National Model Aviation Museum for
educators is being planned.
Flight Adventures was fi lmed in
the summer of 2011 and produced
in partnership with WFYI. Shooting
locations included the National Model
Aviation Museum and an airport.
“I’ve been working as an advisor for
the script,” said Michael Smith, National
Model Aviation Museum director. He said
that in the part of the movie fi lmed at
the Muncie museum, Sir George Cayley,
the “Father of Aviation,” comes to life and
gives the main character of the fi lm, Artie,
a tour of the museum. Artie learns about
models in the fi lm and rides in a full-scale
airplane with her grandfather.
Michael helped fi nd model airplanes
to use in one of the movie scenes, and
loaned some of the models on display at
the National Model Aviation Museum
to the Indianapolis museum. The
models, owned by NASA, include the
Mothership, the X-33 drop test model,
and the Moth.
With money from the $597,000 grant,
The Children’s Museum purchased
special equipment needed to show
a movie in the planetarium. Flight
Adventures is expected to be played
several times a day, until museum
patrons are no longer interested in
viewing it.
“The fi lm is specifi cally aimed to
inspire kids to want to fl y airplanes, and
to see that models and things that they
fl y today … could lead to careers in
aviation,” Gordon added.
Rick’s television special was set to
be shown February 16 at the educator
networking night, and February 25 and
“The fi lm is specifi cally
aimed to inspire kids
to want to fl y airplanes,
and to see that models
and things that they fl y
today ... could lead to
careers in aviation.”
Another shot of David Wigley’s Westland Wyvern. This model photographs great!
A screen shot from the movie Flight Adventures shows the
main character, Artie (left), taking her fi rst fl ight in a full-scale
airplane. TCM photo.36 Model Aviation march 2012 www.ModelAviation.com
Curious Scientific Investigators (CSI): Flight adventures
26 at the Indianapolis museum. For this
project, he traveled across the country
and fi lmed in locations such as the
sand dunes of North Carolina, Purdue
University in West Lafayette, Indiana,
the NASA Dryden Flight Research
Center in Palmdale, California, various
public schools, and the 2011 AMA
Nats at the International Aeromodeling
Center in Muncie. This television special
will explore Indiana’s connections to the
history and science of aviation, aircraft
modeling and testing, and go behind the
scenes at NASA Dryden.
Besides watching the movie,
children’s museum visitors will have
the opportunity to create fl ying
objects and try them out in a
wind tunnel, which Rick built.
The hands-on activities at the
museum are designed for children
of all ages.
For those who want to test
models at home, “They have
Jetstreams in the museum store
and we have Foam Plate Gliders
(FPG-9s) for sale,” Bill said. “I
think it’s good for kids to learn
how to put things together with
their two little hands,” he added.
Jeffrey said that CSI: Flight
Adventures is a permanent
exhibit at the children’s museum.
Permanent exhibits typically have a
lifespan of 10 to 20 years, he said. “As
long as there is an interest from our
visitors, we will accommodate,” he
wrote. “The multimedia show (as shown
in our planetarium) will be available for
other planetariums and dome screens
across the country in the summer of
2012 and beyond.”
The project has become much more
than what Rick and Gordon envisioned.
The two met in the winter of 2009 in
Washington, D.C., as part of a committee
that reviewed proposals for NASA
grants. Along with working at The
Children’s Museum of Indianapolis
and hosting a television show, Rick is
an Indianapolis-area science teacher.
Gordon looks for ways to educate the
public and youngsters about model
aviation. They decided to apply for a
grant through NASA in hopes of creating
some sort of educational program.
“I’ve always believed aeromodeling
isn’t as prominently emphasized [in
Children build Foam Plate Gliders (FPG9s) at the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis.
TCM photo.
A replica of Octave Chanute’s 1896 glider will hang
in the Sunburst Atrium at The Children’s Museum of
Indianapolis. Peter Doherty photo.terms of careers] as space exploration,”
Gordon said.
“The one thing that a child can
actually grasp is a model,” Rick said.
It took nearly a year to get the grant
request approved. Then, the planning
began.
“Rick Crosslin and Gordon Schimmel
met in 2009 and realized that the world’s
largest children’s museum and the
national headquarters for the Academy
of Model Aeronautics were located
just an hour apart, and felt it would be
a wonderful opportunity for people
to experience both,” Jeffrey wrote.
“We have developed a wonderful and
productive working relationship with the
AMA and believe the partnership has
created a richer and deeper experience
for our visitors,” he said.
Bill said The Children’s Museum of
Indianapolis has one million visitors per
year. “Its traffi c is huge. We’re hopeful
that people will go through that and
realize, Muncie isn’t too far away,” he said.
Jeffrey noted that AMA contributed
to the project by “sharing its expertise
on modeling, the history of fl ight,
the science of fl ight, and aviation
education. It has been integral in
the development of the unit of
study (classroom curriculum), the
multimedia planetarium show, and the
Indiana Expeditions documentary for
WFYI.” Bill fl ew some model airplanes
for the television special.“I think there will be a lot of people
in Muncie for events who stop in
Indianapolis and check out [the
exhibit],” Bill added. He said AMA and
children’s museum offi cials are working
on an agreement for AMA members to
get a discounted admission price to the
Indianapolis museum, and vice versa.
—Rachelle Haughn
[email protected]