Introduction:
What does transportation mean to you? What is the first thing you think about when you say the word transportation? Transportation is more than just planes, trains and automobiles. “To move products or people from one place to another place is called transportation” (Johnson and Farrar-Hunter, 2000, p.7). People often take transportation for granted. The things we need and use on a daily basis rely heavily on transportation systems and processes. Transportation has a profound affect on the way we live our lives. Transportation is essentially at the core of everything we do.

Transportation is a familiar activity for all of us. We routinely travel through local communities and around globe. Over the ages we have developed new and more efficient techniques to move people and objects from one location to another. Early developments were restricted to travel along natural routes, mostly involving old animal trails and waterways. More complex land transportation systems followed with rail systems, highways, and pipeline systems. In addition, shipping moved from sail-powered, wooden boats to steel-hulled craft powered by powerful engines. In the 1900s air transportation supplemented land and marine transportation. Today, we are using space transportation systems to explore outer space (Transportation Technology Curriculum Guide, 1984).

Air transportation has grown quickly over the past decades. “Man has always envied the birds of the air” (Johnson and Farrar-Hunter, 2000). In 1783 the Montgolfier brothers designed and built a lighter-than-air vehicle called a hot air balloon. About 150 years later the Wright brothers made their first flight with a heaver-than-air vehicle. Crafts that are heavier-than-air must be supported with more energy for them to remain in flight. They are also usually easier to control than lighter-than-air vehicles.

Airplanes have become a very quick and efficient way of transportation. They have progressed very quickly in both design and construction. From recreational bi-planes to extremely fast jets that can travel at supersonic speeds, airplanes are intricately designed using strong, but lightweight metal alloys. Each part of the airplane supports a specific need. If one part is not functioning as it was designed to the airplane will not operate safely. The main components of an airplane are: fuselage, cockpit, engine, wing, flap, aileron, and tail assembly. The fuselage is the body of the aircraft. In larger aircraft the fuselage holds the goods or people that are being transported. The cockpit contains all the airplane’s instruments and controls. Pilots use the instruments and controls in the cockpit to control and guide the airplane while it is in use. The engines and propellers are used to produce energy that create thrust, which pulls the airplane through the air. The larger the airplane, more thrust is necessary to get the airplane off the ground and remain in flight. The wings are attached to the fuselage and keep the aircraft airborne. Flaps and ailerons are part of the wings and they aid the pilot in controlling the planes banking and movement. The tail assembly is connected to the back of the fuselage. The tail assembly includes a vertical stabilizer called a rudder, and horizontal stabilizers called elevators. An airplane cannot take to flight with just those parts (Johnson and Farrar-Hunter, 2000).

Another key to flight are the forces which must be present for flight to occur. The Bernoulli Principle and Newton’s First Law of Motion must be taken into consideration when designing or flying heavier-than-air vehicles. Four other forces that affect the flight of an airplane are: life, weight, thrust, and drag. The wings of an airplane have a special shape called an airfoil. An airfoil looks like a raindrop turned horizontal and helps air travel faster over the top of the airfoil which allows the air on the bottom to push up with more force thus producing lift. (Johnson and Farrar-Hunter, 2000).

The Delta Dart is a real aircraft used by a military. It is an all-weather aircraft labeled as the Ultimate Interceptor Jet. The Delta Dart has been used in a variety of Air Force missions including intercepting and recognizance missions because of its capability to fly at extremely high speeds. In this activity you will be working with a partner to assemble a Delta Dart that will then be tested for flight duration. The Delta Dart you construct will attempt to break the record set by Ball State University’s best-recorded flight by Mr. Brubaker and Mr. Dilling.

Key Definitions:
The following are key definitions that have been taken from Dictionary.com (2007). You need to know these terms in order to better understand the activity.

Aileron: “A hinged surface that is part of the back edge of each wing on an airplane. The ailerons are moved up or down to create uneven lift on the sides of the plane to control its rolling and tilting movements.”

Airfoil: “Any surface, as a wing, aileron, or stabilizer, designed to aid in lifting or controlling an aircraft by making use of the air currents through which it moves.”

Bi-plane: “An airplane having two pairs of wings fixed at different levels, especially one above and one below the fuselage.”

Cockpit: “A space, usually enclosed, in the forward fuselage of an airplane containing the flying controls, instrument panel, and seats for the pilot and copilot or flight crew.”

Elevator: “A movable control surface, usually attached to the horizontal stabilizer of an aircraft that is used to produce motion up or down.”

Flap: “A movable airfoil that is part of an aircraft wing; used to increase lift or drag.”

Fuselage: “The central body of an aircraft, to which the wings and tail assembly are attached and which accommodates the crew, passengers, and cargo.”

Horizontal stabilizer: “The horizontal surface, usually fixed, of an aircraft empennage, to which the elevator is hinged.”

Landing gear: “The components of an aircraft or a spacecraft that support the weight of the craft and its load and give it mobility on ground or water.”

Propeller: “A device consisting of a set of two or more twisted, airfoil-shaped blades mounted around a shaft and spun to provide propulsion of a vehicle through water or air, or to cause fluid flow, as in a pump. The lift generated by the spinning blades provides the force that propels the vehicle or the fluid—the lift does not have to result in an actual upward force; its direction is simply parallel to the rotating shaft.”

Propulsion: “A driving or propelling force.”

Rudder: “A movable control surface attached to a vertical stabilizer, located at the rear of an airplane and used, along with the ailerons, to turn the airplane.”

Slats: “A control surface along the leading edge of a wing that can be extended forward to create a gap (slot) to improve airflow.”

Spoiler: “A device used to break up the airflow around an aerodynamic surface, as an aircraft wing, in order to slow the movement through the air or to decrease the lift on the surface and, as a result, provide bank or descent control.”

Supersonic: “Greater than the speed of sound waves through air.”

Thrust: “The forward-directed force developed in a jet or rocket engine as a reaction to the high-velocity rearward ejection of exhaust gases.”

Vertical stabilizer: “The fixed vertical surface of an aircraft empennage, to which the rudder is hinged.”

Wing: “An airfoil whose principal function is providing lift, especially either of two such airfoils symmetrically positioned on each side of the fuselage of an aircraft.”

The Challenge:
You are to work cooperatively in groups of two to assemble and fly a Delta Dart that will remain in flight for a minimum of fifteen seconds.

Objectives:
Upon completing this activity, students will be able to:

1. Identify and describe the parts of a Delta Dart.
2. Work safely and cooperatively in a laboratory environment.
3. Methodically and systematically test a Delta Dart.
4. Make necessary adjustments to Delta Darts.
5. Identify the support systems of a Delta Dart.
6. Accurately record the flight times of a Delta Dart.
7. Accurately record adjustments made to Delta Dart to meet flight time requirements.
8. Fabricate a Delta Dart that exemplifies high quality craftsmanship.
   

Resources:
The following resource will help you in fabricating your Delta Dart:

Tips for building a better Delta Dart:
http://phys-advlab.physics.lsa.umich.edu/Tips%20for%20Delta%20Dart.htm

Materials/Equipment:
You will need the following items to fabricate the Delta Dart.
Instruction sheet One motor stick Ten wood sticks One paper plan One propeller One rubber band One 12” x 15” piece of cardboard One bottle of wood glue Ten Q-tips One pair of scissors Masking tape Ten T-pins

Limitations/Requirements:
This activity has the following limitations or requirements:

1. Students must work cooperatively in groups of two only.
2. Students may only use the materials specified.
3. Students must follow directions on the instruction sheet when fabricating the Delta Dart for the first time.
4. The directions on the handout must be followed with exception of specific teacher instructions.
5. Students will have one and a half class periods to finish fabrication of the Delta Dart.
6. Students will alter their Delta Dart to meet the fifteen second flight requirement.
   

Procedures:
These are the steps the students must follow to accurately fabricate a Delta Dart.

1. Before proceeding, carefully read through the entire design brief.
2. With your partner, brainstorm ways to fabricate a Delta Dart that will stay in flight for a minimum of fifteen seconds.
3. Record your thoughts and ideas on the Brainstorming Sheet.
4. Once you have decided on some potential ways to maintain the flight requirement, follow the instructions provided with the Delta Dart kit to fabricate your Delta Dart.
5. After fabrication is complete take your Delta Dart to the designated flight testing area.
6. One person needs to fly the Delta Dart while the other measures the amount of time the Delta Dart remains in flight.
7. Record the flight time on the Flight Data Record Sheet.
8. Analyze and record what could be improved to meet or exceed the flight requirement on the Flight Data Record Sheet.
9. Make the necessary adjustments to your Delta Dart and proceed with next flight.
10. Repeat steps six through nine as necessary.
11. Once your Delta Dart has met the minimum flight time of fifteen seconds, brainstorm ways to increase flight time. Record these ideas on the Brainstorming Sheet.
12. Make adjustments to your Delta Dart and test it at the designated flight testing area.
13. One person needs to fly the Delta Dart while the other person times the flight duration.
14. Remember, your Delta Dart will be in competition with other Delta Darts in the class. Your goal is to have the longest flight time.