Aiming for Awesome: Engineering in RAF STEM resources

The aim of our resources is to inspire the next generation of engineers by showcasing how STEM skills can positively impact society.

RAF 100: Aiming for Awesome celebrates the centenary of the RAF by exploring its engineering achievements over the past 100 years.

10 resources, each focused on a different decade of RAF history, offer primary and secondary school students the opportunity to engage in hands-on activities that apply the knowledge they've gained in science, design and technology, mathematics, and computing.

This resource includes 10 teacher guides and 10 student activity booklets to complete. Some booklets have supporting worksheets.

1918-1928: Aircraft design

Investigate the forces acting on an aircraft during flight and use an iterative process to design and improve the perfect paper aircraft.

Aircraft design

1928-1938: Radar

Explore how radar technology works and examine different structural shapes for building towers, before designing and constructing your own radar tower. There are 4 supporting worksheets for this activity.

Radar

1938-1948: Speed record

Investigate aerodynamics by using distance and time calculations to determine the speed of various aircraft and learn how vortices are created around an aircraft's wing as it travels through the air.

Air speed record

1948-1958: Ejection seat

Learn the mechanics of an ejection seats and how technological advancements have significantly increased their safety.

Ejection seat

1958-1968: Code breaking

Discover espionage and the history of the Cold War by investigating how coding and encryption are used to keep messages secret. This activity has 1 supporting worksheet.

Code breaking

1968-1978: Satellite age

Investigate how satellite communication systems work, how different types of wave frequencies are used, and the challenges engineers face in solving technical problems.

Satellite communications

1978-1988: Disaster relief

Explore the logistics of delivering large scale humanitarian aid by working in teams to determine the essential supplies and equipment needed after a natural disaster, and how to ensure they are delivered safely and intact. This activity has 1 supporting worksheet.

Disaster relief

1988-1998: Logistics challenge

Plan the logistics for delivering humanitarian aid by calculating the amount of aid required, how it will fit into an aircraft, and how long it will take to deliver the aid from its RAF base. There are 2 supporting worksheets for this activity.

Logistics challenge

1998-2008: Remotely piloted air systems

Investigate the design, production, and control systems of a remotely piloted aircraft, and learn how to write and test flight paths through a series of practical activities. There are 3 supporting worksheets for this activity.

Remotely piloted aircraft systems

2008-2018: Stealth

Learn about radar detection systems and how they identify and track objects. Explore advanced techniques for evading detection, such as avoiding infrared sensors, and the use of colour, filters and camouflage strategies to reduce visibility and enhance stealth capabilities.

Stealth

This is Engineering: Aiming for Awesome

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