The Class That Built And Flew
PUT a modeler in the classroom, and sooner or later you'll see some action. Here's the story of one such occasion. "I am a fourth-grade teacher at Locust Grove Mennonite School just east of Lancaster, Pennsylvania. I also build model airplanes. "In March 1991, our class was studying people, industries, and transportation in the social studies textbook. The next lesson, `How an Airplane Is Made,' explained how groups of people cooperate to produce jet aircraft at Boeing's Seattle plant. The thought struck me-how about having the class build an airplane instead of reading about it?
Bamboo Sailplane
I was returning to East Africa and had plans to construct a vintage Scale sailplane. I chose the Fafnir, an early German glider with a colorful history. Its unpainted plywood skin reminded me of the shiny side of bamboo bark-the outer layer of the plant that peels off and falls to the ground. I had used this material ten years earlier to make model sailboats, and decided to use it for the glider. I was motivated to use bamboo for reasons other that just its appearance. Balsa wood is almost nonexistent in Nairobi. One shop imports it from Europe and sells it at a very high price. Bamboo bark would provide a plentiful supply of very light building material - at no cost.
