Just plane fun at Martin Avenue

Paper airplanes were flying through the air recently at Martin Avenue Elementary School in the North Bellmore School District as sixth-graders learned about aerodynamics.

The project was designed to teach students about the scientific method. They had to explore variables that would affect how far their planes could fly and come up with different designs. The students studied various aerodynamic principles such as lift and drag.

On launch day, students tested their control planes, which all had the same design, and their variable planes that had different shapes and sizes. They also measured the distance their planes flew. The project included a math component as students collected data and averaged how far each plane flew during multiple test flights.