A SOARING DAY WITH "THE RIGHT STUFF"!

Yesterday, my "Right Stuff" 8th Grade Exploratory class had a visit from Sean Franke, a competitive glider pilot. He brought his sailplane with him, and spoke to my students about how airplanes work, and the specific differences between a glider and a powered aircraft. His expertise was evident, and my students were fascinated by his lesson. They asked him some great questions! I hope to have Mr. Franke back next year!

I have been teaching my "Right Stuff" class for three years now. I envisioned it as sort of an "introduction to engineering concepts" because of my love of all things air & space! But since I am neither a mathematician or an engineer, the class is made incredibly more interesting when I can have experts come and share. Last year, we were able to have a video conference with a Flight Surgeon at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, TX. Before this year is out, we will be building and launching our own rockets!