The San Diego Air & Space Museum has received an ISTAT grant for a new educational program, which will allow the Museum to offer three introductory courses in aerospace fields for students between 15-18 years old. Each course will provide foundational workforce training in STEM concepts and aeronautics. These courses will be scheduled separately and includes: Aerospace Engineering in the Fall of 2024, Airframe Design and Fabrication in Spring 2025, and Basic Piloting in Summer 2025. The Fall and Spring courses will be offered on consecutive Saturdays, 2-hours per day, during a six-week program. The Summer course is a one-day class lasting 3 hours, offered on eight consecutive Saturdays beginning in July 2025 and ending in August 2025.

All of the classes will be held at the Museum’s Gillespie Field Annex at 335 Kenney Street, El Cajon, CA 92020.

Aerospace Engineering, Fall 2024
The Aerospace Engineering course is an introduction to the fundamental principles of flight mechanics, aerodynamic forces, and stability and control of flying objects in a simplified form with a minimum amount of mathematical computation. Students participate in a hands-on activity building model airplanes while focusing on the concepts of aircraft design, construction, and flight. Expected learning outcome is that students will gain a basic level understanding of fundamental concepts in physics that are central to aerospace. Topics build upon each other in each successive two-hour session as follows:

Session 1: Air, Airflow, Airfoils
Session 2: Airfoils, continued
Session 3: Propulsion
Session 4: Takeoff, Level Flight, Landing
Session 5: Gliding and Soaring
Session 6: Transonic, Supersonic, Unmanned Systems

Airframe Design and Fabrication, Spring 2025
Introduction to Airframe Design and Fabrication introduces students to basic elements of aircraft structure and materials, combining principles of aerodynamics, materials technology, and manufacturing methods with a focus on weight, strength, reliability, and aerodynamic drag. Students participate in multiple hands-on projects, including fabricating wood aircraft ribs, installing fabric coverings, and using metal materials. Expected learning outcome is that students will obtain a fundamental understanding of engineering principles critical to aircraft design. Topics build upon each other in each successive three-hour session as follows:

Session 1: Hand Tool Safety
Session 2: Basic Aircraft Design
Session 3: Constructing Wooden Aircraft Ribs
Session 4: Constructing Wooden Aircraft Ribs, continued
Session 5: Fabric Covering
Session 6: Metal Bending and Riveting

Basic Piloting, Summer 2025
Introduction to Piloting introduces students to the fundamentals of piloting through exploration of a variety of basic aviation concepts, including aircraft systems and instruments, communication, performance, and navigation. Students participate in hands-on exploration of aircraft instruments (including gauges), charting, and radio communication with Air Traffic Control, as well as with other aircraft. Students will acquire knowledge of the essentials of aviation as a possible stepping stone to a career in aviation.

This three-hour class is divided into two parts: the first two hours of classroom instruction and exploration and the final hour touring airplanes on display at the Museum’s Gillespie Hangar and observing live take-offs and landings on an adjacent Gillespie Field Airport runway.

Enrollment Fees

• Open enrollment will begin on July 14, 2024. Scholarships are available for need-based participants.
• Aerospace Engineering, $150 for six sessions (20 student limit)
• Airframe Design and Fabrication, $150 for six sessions (20 student limit)
• Basic Piloting, $30 for a 3-hour class. 6 classes are available between July and August 2025. (30 student limit per class)

For more information, contact Katrina Pescador at kpescador@sdasm.org.