Today we piloted (heh) a new drone program in the Chalsty Center.

Members of our STEM education team ran a Drone Flight School workshop for small groups of guests who were interested in learning how to fly one of the fastest growing aeronautical technologies in the country.

Before taking to the air, guests were given a 15 minute presentation on the physics of flight and discussed the four aerodynamic forces that act upon an aircraft:

• Lift – the mechanical force being generated by the wings of the drone rotors moving through the air.
• Weight – the pull of gravity on the drone (opposing lift).
• Thrust – the motion generated by the engines that moves the drone forward.
• Drag – the air resistance pushing back on the drone as it is moving.

Following the flight lesson guests piloted drones through a timed obstacle course, competing to see who could fly it the fastest. The program was a huge success, and you can be sure we’ll have more drone programs at Liberty Science Center in the future.