School students discover the magic of flight and celebrate 100th anniversary of the RAF

In March, the Institution came together with the RAF to inspire over 60 young students and their teachers about engineering through an interactive and fun workshop held at the Institution’s London headquarters. The event was one of the first activities organised as part of the RAF’s 100th anniversary this year.

Students aged 11-17 split into teams and designed and built their own gliders under the guidance of RAF Squadron Leader Catherine Hall and Flight Lieutenants Richard Green and Ieuan Robinson. The activity, designed and facilitated by Mark Robinson and Jas Thandi from The Learning Partnership, gave the students the opportunity to experiment with wing and body shape, and test out their ideas in real life.  The workshop culminated in the flight testing of each team’s gliders, and the winners who were closest to the target, a team from St Albans Girls School, were presented with a certificate and “Edward Mortlock Donaldson” the RAF Bear.  Other prizes were awarded for the runner up, the longest flight, the most acrobatic display and the most innovative design.

Students and their teachers also heard from serving RAF personnel about the excitement and variety of an engineering career and how engineers really can change the world. Teams then took part in a self-directed quiz on the history of IMechE based on clues that could be found around the historic Bird Cage Walk building.

Reflecting on the event, Squadron Leader Catherine Hall said, 

“The 100 year anniversary of the RAF is a wonderful opportunity to generate enthusiasm about engineering and today has given students a chance to design, build and test their own aircraft allowing them to develop their understanding of the theory of flight.

Sandra Balthazaar, IMechE Projects Manager, was the key contact with the schools and colleges and oversaw the day’s events. She said,

“We are focused on inspiring the next generation; this was a great way to engage with local schools and see their skills on display.

"The feedback from teachers and students was positive with one student commenting that - It gave them an insight into engineering and made them think about that option as a career choice."

Jill Dwyer, Defence Liaison Officer, said,

“I am delighted that an idea mooted with the RAF over a year ago, saw reality in such a fun and exciting way. What a great way to inspire young people about the next 100 years of the RAF, and about careers in engineering.”

Following the very successful day, the RAF and IMechE hope to be able to work together and organise similar events in the future.