EVERETT- Gary Evans fell in love with the “swirling like an eagle” feeling when he first flew a small airplane.
For years, the chemistry and physics teacher at the Snohomish Freshman Campus has been trying to get fellow teachers into a cockpit to learn about the different aspects of aviation.
“The number-one goal is they take back the excitement to their classroom and get their students excited about aviation,” Evans said. “Flying introduces a third dimension, giving the opportunity to go not just left and right but up and down.”
His passion led 15 teachers to place their hands on the W-shaped airplane’s control stick Monday at Paine Field.
“It’s a different world up there,” said Dennis Griner, a fifth-grade teacher at Highland Terrace Elementary School in Shoreline. “It gives you a whole new perspective.”
The 20-minute Cessna airplane ride was one of the activities of the four-day class developed by Evans, called Science of Flight for Teachers.
Over eight years, the program has taught more than 100 teachers from elementary school through high school.
Visiting professionals from NASA, aircraft mechanics and airline pilots introduce the principles of flight.
Teachers leave with a ready-to-use curriculum.
“I want to show the students how math is used in another area,” said Anna Blowham, a ninth-grade math teacher at Meadowdale High School in Lynnwood. “I try to teach things in a real world setting, so math is not just within the four walls of the classroom.”
Roger Tanner, a music teacher at Cascade View Elementary in Snohomish, said aviation is not just about science and physics, but it also involves sound and vibration.
“The speed of sound and what causes it to travel through the air is what interested me the most,” Tanner said.
Inspired by the Cessna ride, he is planning to have his students perform a musical about Amelia Earhart, the first female pilot to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean.
Paine Field provides the classroom and materials for the program.
David Waggoner, Paine Field director, said many pilots are aging, and he sees the need to inspire a younger generation and to bring in new blood into the aviation field.
“Aviation is a great tool to motivate young kids,” he said. “Teachers are wonderful multipliers.”
Brian Hawkins, an aerospace education specialist at NASA, said many children are not aware of what options they have besides going to a college after graduating from high school. The class explains career opportunities in the field of aviation.
“An airport is a small city,” he said. “We need all kinds of people to run the city.”
Reporter Tieh-Pai Chen: 425-339-3432 or pchen@heraldnet.com.
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