Exploring Flight with a Science Fair Project

Want a cool science fair project that will really shoot for the stars? Try exploring flight! There are many ways to explore the principles of flight, and to create your own flying devices out of simple materials. You can easily document how long your creations are able to fly, what speeds are best for them to function, and much more that will help you understand our world in more detail.

Wind Tunnel

To build a wind tunnel, you need a sizeable cardboard box, a fan, and a plane to fly. It helps also to have a viewing window so you can record your plane’s flight, but it’s not necessary to complete the experiment. You can do it the easy way, tying a lead string to a fan and using cardboard or poster board to form the tunnel, or you can put the fan inside a box. One way to test lift is to tie a small weight to your plane, and place the weight on a scale. As the plane experiences lift, the weight will pull from the scale.

Paper Planes

You can also test the flight times for different paper plane designs. Some professional designs with high-quality paper are capable of traveling great distances. Can you perfect a paper folding technique that can beat the pros? Try adding paperclips and other small objects to control weight and keep your plane steady on its flight path.

Weather Balloons

A high altitude balloon can be outfitted with a camera to record photos of the stratosphere. You can present these views of our Earth to the class, or use a data logging device to capture information about our atmosphere. Try to see if you can predict a storm, or show how real meteorologists are able to do their work.