Hold onto your hat and be prepared to be blown away! In this area you will explore how objects move through air (aerodynamics) and learn how engineers use wind tunnels to develop and test ideas. Find out why airplanes can fly and how electricity can be created by the wind. Design, build and test your own airplane and windmill design then modify your model and test it again. Who knows, this could be the first step to becoming the engineer for the first Interplanetary Shuttle!

Windmills
Design Challenge: What design will generate the greatest rotational speed?
Design and test a propeller for speed by choosing blade shape, number of blades, and angle of attack. Then measure its success level
Test the "power" of your new design! by the electrical output produced by the generator.

Paper Airplanes
Design Challenge: Can you make a stable paper airplane?
Select from a computer menu of various types of plane designs and follow step-by-step folding instructions to create the paper airplane of your choice. Test your design for flight stability
Create and test different plane models- from simple to complex. in a wind tunnel and learn the importance a wind tunnel plays in the engineering of airplanes.

Walk-In Wind Tunnel
This activity provides a full body experience with lift and drag, two important forces related to flight. Visitors put on foam plastic wings and experiment with angle of attack as a variable in determining the effectiveness of a wing to produce lift and reduce drag
Learn what it's like to be a plane!.

Cool Wind Activities and Online Wind Games

Visit other ENGINEER IT! areas!

Water Area Structures Area

Wind Area Exhibit Overview

ENGINEER IT! was made possible through a grant from the National Science Foundation and was created and designed by the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OSMI). This exhibit is locally sponsored by Yellowbook.