The Seaplane Challenge is a STEM outreach program with elements for both elementary and high school students. The Challenge was created at NSWC Carderock to teach and excite students about aviation, aerodynamics, hydrodynamics, engineering, history, and design. After following a curriculum tied to educational standards to instruct in these topics, small teams of elementary school students follow a set of instructions to build a model glider. They then use the glider to learn about testing, success and failure and compete to see whose glider can fly the farthest. High school students are challenged to design and build their own remote controlled electric seaplane to accomplish a set of missions.
The program draws inspiration from the Navy's NC flying boats, one of which was the first aircraft to cross the Atlantic Ocean. It is an exciting study in both exploration and engineering, and provides a great story to build from.
For more information, call 301-227-1595.
