Aviation Education Portal

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Aviation Scholarships

Virginia offers several scholarships for aviation education and flight training.

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Virginia offers grants for K-12 teachers who bring aviation into their classrooms.

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Virginia hosts educational pathways and scholarships for careers in aviation.

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Aviation education starts here.

The Virginia Department of Aviation offers direct access to aviation education, career pathways, and resources that support educators and students of all types across the Commonwealth.

Lesson Plan Portal

The Aviation Lesson Plan Portal offers K-12 curriculum spanning various subjects to introduce students to aviation through hands-on learning. Each lesson stands alone, can be taught in any order, and lists differentiation notes to flex up or down a grade band.

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How It Works

Select your grade level from the list below. Browse the lessons based on subject or field of interest. Once you choose your lesson, attach the Regional Career Connection activity based on your school's location.

Grades K–2: Explorers

Students investigate flight through their senses before they investigate it with vocabulary. These lessons favor movement, big materials, and read-aloud science.

Lesson Overview

Grade Band: K–1
Time Needed: 40–45 Minutes
Group Size: Whole class, then pairs
Core Topic: Introduces the idea that flight happens when a force pushes something up and forward
Standards: Virginia Science SOL K.1, K.2, 1.2 (forces, motion, scientific investigation); NGSS K-PS2-1, K-PS2-2
Similar Lesson Plans: Inspired by EAA's “Aviation for Kids” hands-on exploration model and AOPA's Discover Flying elementary activities

Learning Objectives

Sort a collection of objects into ‘flies,’ ‘floats,’ and ‘falls’ based on a real test, not a guess
Use the words push and pull to describe what made an object move
Explain in one sentence why an airplane is different from a paper clip

Materials

A mixed bin of 10–15 safe classroom objects (feather, paper clip, cotton ball, small block, index card, balloon, pom-pom, plastic spoon)
3 hula hoops or taped floor circles labeled Flies / Floats / Falls
Chart paper and markers
One pre-folded simple paper airplane (teacher-made) to reveal at the end

Hands-On Activity

Gather students in a circle. Drop one object (e.g., a block) and ask what happened. Introduce the words push, pull, and gravity in kid terms: “gravity is Earth pulling everything down.”
In small groups, students test each object by gently dropping or tossing it and watch where it goes.
Groups place each object in the matching hoop: Flies (moves through air with control), Floats (drifts slowly down), Falls (drops fast, straight down).
Regroup and chart results as a class. Ask: ‘What do the things in Flies have in common?’ (usually: flat, wide, or light and open)
Reveal the paper airplane. Fly it across the room. Ask students to predict which hoop it belongs in and why.

Differentiation

Support: Pre-sort objects into two categories only (Flies / Doesn't Fly) and use hand-over-hand tossing support.
Extend: Ask students to design a simple change to a 'Falls' object (add a paper fin or fold) and re-test it.

Career Connection

Tell students that people called aerospace engineers spend their whole job asking the same question this lesson asks: “why does this fly and this doesn't?” Show a photo of an engineer testing a model in a wind tunnel.

Assessment & Reflection

Informal: can the student point to an object and correctly explain why it flies, floats, or falls?

Attach the Regional Aviation Career Connections module for your school's Virginia Aviation Board region to close this lesson with relevant local jobs, companies, and pathways.

Lesson Overview

Grade Band: K–2
Time Needed: 35–40 Minutes
Group Size: Whole class
Core Topic: Weather observation and why pilots check the sky before every flight
Standards: Virginia Science SOL K.9, 1.7, 2.6 (weather, observation, data collection)
Similar Lesson Plans: Adapted from Civil Air Patrol AEX weather-observation activities and NASA GLOBE Clouds citizen-science project

Learning Objectives

Identify sun, clouds, rain, and wind as weather they can observe
Explain that pilots check the weather before flying to stay safe
Record a simple daily weather observation using pictures

Materials

A simple weather journal (folded paper, one box per day)
Weather picture cards (sun, cloud, rain, snow, wind)
A pinwheel or a windsock made from a paper bag and streamers
Optional: window or outdoor sky view

Hands-On Activity

Ask: ‘If you were flying a small airplane today, would you want to fly through that big dark cloud?’ Discuss why not (can't see, bumpy, dangerous).
Go outside or to a window. Observe the sky together: is it sunny, cloudy, windy, calm?
Test the wind sock or pinwheel outside; discuss how pilots use windsocks at airports to see which way the wind is blowing.
Each student draws today's weather in their journal box and picks the matching picture card.
As a class, vote: ‘Would today be a good day for a small airplane to fly?’ and justify the answer using the observations.
Repeat the journal entry daily for a week to build a classroom weather-and-flying calendar.

Differentiation

Support: Use only two choices (good flying day / not a good flying day) with picture supports.
Extend: Introduce simple wind direction (N/S/E/W) using a compass rose taped to the floor.

Career Connection

Introduce the job of a meteorologist and an air traffic controller; both watch the sky and weather to help pilots fly safely, every single day, including in Virginia's airports.

Assessment & Reflection

Students can point to their journal and correctly describe whether it was safe, cloudy, windy, or rainy.

Attach the Regional Aviation Career Connections module for your school's Virginia Aviation Board region to close this lesson with relevant local jobs, companies, and pathways.

Lesson Overview

Grade Band: K–2
Time Needed: 30 Minutes
Group Size: Whole class, relay-style
Core Topic: Action-reaction force (thrust) through a simple demonstration
Standards: Virginia Science SOL K.2, 1.2, 2.2 (force and motion)
Similar Lesson Plans: A classic hands-on physics demo, adapted to a classroom relay format

Learning Objectives

Observe that air rushing out of a balloon pushes the balloon the opposite direction
Use the word thrust to describe what makes a balloon (or rocket) move forward
Predict which of two balloon designs will travel farther, then test it

Materials

Long balloons (one per team)
String or fishing line strung across the room, taped at both ends
Plastic straws and tape
A finish-line marker

Hands-On Activity

Thread a straw onto each string; tape a balloon to the straw and hold the balloon closed while a partner pulls it to the starting end.
Ask students to predict what will happen when the balloon is released. Release and watch it zoom across the string.
Explain in simple language: air rushes out the back, and that push has an equal push forward. That pushback is called thrust, the same thing that moves a real rocket or jet.
Run it as a relay: teams take turns racing their balloon across the room and cheering it on.
Try a second balloon shape or size and predict/compare which travels farther and why.

Differentiation

Support: An adult holds the balloon closed and helps with release on a countdown.
Extend: Have students add a paper cone ‘nose’ to the straw and discuss whether it changed the balloon's speed.

Career Connection

Connect the word thrust directly to rocket scientists and jet engine engineers, whose whole job is finding ways to push air or gas out the back of something to move it forward faster.

Assessment & Reflection

Students can point to the balloon and say, in their own words, what pushed it forward.

Attach the Regional Aviation Career Connections module for your school's Virginia Aviation Board region to close this lesson with relevant local jobs, companies, and pathways.

Lesson Overview

Grade Band: K–2
Time Needed: 25–30 Minutes
Group Size: Whole class
Core Topic: Early literacy paired with the aviation (NATO) phonetic alphabet, used by every pilot and air traffic controller in the world
Standards: Virginia English SOL K.1, 1.1, 2.1 (oral language, listening, letter recognition)
Similar Lesson Plans: Inspired by Civil Air Patrol's introductory aerospace vocabulary activities

Learning Objectives

Recognize that pilots use special code words instead of letters, so radio messages are never confused
Match at least five letters to their aviation code word (e.g., A = Alpha, B = Bravo)
Spell their own name out loud using the aviation alphabet

Materials

A simple poster or handout of the aviation alphabet (Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, Delta...)
Letter cards
A toy pilot headset or paper-towel-tube ‘radio’ (optional, for fun)

Hands-On Activity

Ask: why might a pilot say ‘Bravo’ instead of just the letter B? Discuss how B and D or M and N can sound alike over a scratchy radio, so pilots use a special word for every letter.
Introduce 5–10 letters and their code words with a call-and-response chant.
Play a matching game: hold up a letter card, students shout the matching code word.
Using the headset, each student ‘radios in’ by spelling the first letter of their name in the aviation alphabet.
Close by spelling a fun word together as a class (like SKY or FLY) entirely in code words.

Differentiation

Support: Focus on only the letters in the student's own first name.
Extend: Challenge students to spell their full first and last name from memory using the aviation alphabet.

Career Connection

Every pilot and air traffic controller uses this exact alphabet every single day. Tell students they just learned a real skill used at every airport in Virginia.

Assessment & Reflection

Students successfully spell at least the first letter of their name using the correct code word.

Attach the Regional Aviation Career Connections module for your school's Virginia Aviation Board region to close this lesson with relevant local jobs, companies, and pathways.

Grades 3–5: Builders

Upper elementary students are ready to build, test, and redesign. These lessons introduce the four forces of flight and reward iteration.

Lesson Overview

Grade Band: 3–5
Time Needed: 50–60 Minutes
Group Size: Pairs or trios
Core Topic: The four forces of flight and how changing a design changes performance
Standards: Virginia Science SOL 3.2, 4.2, 5.2 (force, motion, simple machines, scientific investigation); NGSS 3-5-ETS1
Similar Lesson Plans: Adapted from AOPA's ‘Rockets’ STEM lesson and EAA's Young Eagles ground-school activities

Learning Objectives

Name and define the four forces of flight: lift, weight (gravity), thrust, and drag
Build a straw rocket and test how fin size and nose weight change distance and stability
Collect and compare data across at least three design trials

Materials

Plastic straws (wide and narrow, one set per pair)
Card stock for fins and nose cones
Tape, scissors, paper clips (for nose weight)
Measuring tape or marked hallway/gym floor
Data recording sheet (trial number, design change, distance)

Hands-On Activity

Introduce the four forces using arms-out demonstration: lift pushes up, weight pulls down, thrust pushes forward, drag pushes back.
Show a diagram of an airplane with all four forces labeled; students copy it into notebooks.
Teams build a basic straw rocket: narrow straw as the rocket body, card-stock fins taped near the back, launched by blowing through or popping off a wider launch straw.
Trial 1: launch with no modifications and record distance.
Trial 2: add a small paper-clip nose weight and re-launch; record distance and discuss why the change mattered (shifts center of gravity forward, improving stability, similar to why real aircraft must be loaded and balanced correctly).
Trial 3: change fin size or angle and re-launch; record distance.
Teams graph their three trials and identify which single change most improved distance or accuracy.
Class discussion: connect nose weight to real aircraft weight-and-balance & fins to the tail of a real airplane.

Differentiation

Support: Provide a pre-built rocket and have students test only one variable (fin size) with a simplified two-column data sheet.
Extend: Require a controlled experiment with only one variable changed per trial and a written conclusion explaining the aerodynamic reason for the result.

Career Connection

Connect this to flight test engineers, who launch and re-launch prototype aircraft, changing one thing at a time, exactly like the students just did.

Assessment & Reflection

Completed data table, a graph of at least three trials, and one written sentence identifying which force was most affected by their design change.

Attach the Regional Aviation Career Connections module for your school's Virginia Aviation Board region to close this lesson with relevant local jobs, companies, and pathways.

Lesson Overview

Grade Band: 3–5
Time Needed: Two 45-minute sessions
Group Size: Teams of 2–3
Core Topic: Engineering design process: ask, imagine, plan, create, test, improve
Standards: Virginia Science SOL 3.1, 4.1, 5.1 (engineering design); Virginia CTE Elementary STEM competencies
Similar Lesson Plans: Inspired by Civil Air Patrol AEX ‘Wright Flyer’ balsa glider unit and AOPA's glider design activities

Learning Objectives

Apply the engineering design process to build a foam or balsa glider
Test and improve a design using measurable criteria (distance, flight time, stability)
Explain a redesign decision using evidence from a test flight

Materials

Foam meat trays, craft foam sheets, or balsa glider kits
Scissors, tape, small binder clips for adjustable nose weight
Stopwatch and measuring tape
Engineering design journal (ask / imagine / plan / create / test / improve)

Hands-On Activity

Day 1: Introduce the engineering design process and show 2–3 example glider shapes (delta wing, straight wing, flying wing). Teams sketch their plan and record predicted performance.
Day 1: Teams cut and assemble their first glider prototype and complete two test flights, recording distance and flight time.
Day 1: Teams write one redesign goal (e.g., ‘reduce nose-heavy dive’ or ‘add dihedral to stop rolling’).
Day 2: Teams rebuild or modify their glider based on their redesign goal.
Day 2: Class glider-off in a hallway or gym; every team gets three official test flights; best distance recorded on a class leaderboard.
Day 2: Debrief as a class: what design features showed up across the top gliders? Connect this to real aircraft wing shapes.

Differentiation

Support: Provide a template to trace for the wing and tail shapes; focus redesign on a single guided variable.
Extend: Require teams to test and graph the effect of wingspan-to-body-length ratio and cite it as evidence in their ‘improve’ step.

Career Connection

Introduce aerospace/mechanical engineering and industrial design as careers built entirely on this ask-imagine-plan-create-test-improve cycle used at real companies designing real aircraft.

Assessment & Reflection

Design journal completed for both cycles, plus a two-sentence written explanation connecting one redesign choice to a specific test result.

Attach the Regional Aviation Career Connections module for your school's Virginia Aviation Board region to close this lesson with relevant local jobs, companies, and pathways.

Lesson Overview

Grade Band: 3–5
Time Needed: 45 Minutes
Group Size: Pairs
Core Topic: Autorotation, how spinning blades generate lift even without power, explored through a simple paper model
Standards: Virginia Science SOL 3.2, 4.2, 5.2 (force, motion, air resistance)
Similar Lesson Plans: A classic paper-helicopter STEM activity, reframed around real helicopter safety engineering

Learning Objectives

Build a paper helicopter (paper rotor) and observe how spinning slows its fall
Change one variable (blade length, paper weight) and measure the effect on fall time
Explain, in simple terms, how a real helicopter pilot can still land safely if the engine fails

Materials

Paper helicopter templates (strip of paper cut into a T-shape with a paperclip base) easy to print or draw
Paperclips
Stopwatch
A high drop point (stairwell, upper level, or standing on a sturdy chair with supervision)

Hands-On Activity

Build the basic paper helicopter: cut slits, fold the two top blades in opposite directions, clip the base.
Drop it and time how long it takes to hit the ground; record the time.
Explain autorotation: as air rushes up past the falling blades, it makes them spin, and the spin creates lift that slows the fall. This is exactly how a real helicopter can make a safe emergency landing without power.
In pairs, change one variable, such as blade length, blade width, or paperclip weight, and predict whether the new design will fall faster or slower.
Re-test and compare times. Graph the class's results by variable changed.
Discuss: what design lasted longest in the air, and why does that matter for a real emergency landing?

Differentiation

Support: Provide a pre-cut, pre-folded helicopter and focus only on timing and observing.
Extend: Require three trials per design and a calculated average fall time, then a written explanation using the word 'lift.'

Career Connection

Introduce helicopter pilots and rotorcraft engineers, whose safety training is built entirely around understanding autorotation, the same concept just modeled with paper.

Assessment & Reflection

Completed data table of at least two designs with average fall times, and one sentence explaining what autorotation is.

Attach the Regional Aviation Career Connections module for your school's Virginia Aviation Board region to close this lesson with relevant local jobs, companies, and pathways.

Lesson Overview

Grade Band: 3–5
Time Needed: 40 Minutes
Group Size: Small groups
Core Topic: Buoyancy and density: why heating air makes it rise
Standards: Virginia Science SOL 3.3, 4.3, 5.4 (matter, heat, density)
Similar Lesson Plans: Adapted from classic density/buoyancy classroom demonstrations, connected to hot air ballooning

Learning Objectives

Explain that warm air is less dense than cool air, so it rises
Observe a simple demonstration of hot air causing an object to rise or expand
Connect the demonstration to how a real hot air balloon works

Materials

A plastic bottle and a balloon that fits snugly over its opening
A bowl of warm (not boiling) water and a bowl of ice water
Optional: a hair dryer (adult-operated, on cool observation setting for safety) to show moving warm air

Hands-On Activity

Stretch a balloon over the mouth of an empty plastic bottle.
Place the bottle in the bowl of warm water and watch the balloon slowly inflate on its own as the air inside warms and expands.
Move the same bottle to the ice water and watch the balloon shrink back down as the air cools.
Discuss: warm air molecules move faster and spread farther apart, making warm air lighter (less dense) than cool air, which is exactly why it rises.
Show a picture or short video of a real hot air balloon and connect the burner's flame to the same principle: heat the air inside the balloon, and the whole balloon rises.
If desired, discuss Virginia's own hot air balloon festivals and the pilots who fly them as an example.

Differentiation

Support: Focus only on observing and describing what happened (balloon got bigger/smaller) without requiring the density vocabulary.
Extend: Have students research and explain why a hot air balloon pilot can only go up or down, not steer left or right, the way an airplane can.

Career Connection

Introduce hot air balloon pilots as a real, licensed aviation career, a fun example that not all pilots fly airplanes.

Assessment & Reflection

Students can explain in one or two sentences why the balloon inflated in warm water and shrank in cold water.

Attach the Regional Aviation Career Connections module for your school's Virginia Aviation Board region to close this lesson with relevant local jobs, companies, and pathways.

Lesson Overview

Grade Band: 3–5
Time Needed: 40–45 Minutes
Group Size: Small groups or stations
Core Topic: Aircraft classification (fixed-wing, rotorcraft, glider, multirotor drone) by observable features
Standards: Virginia Science SOL 3.4, 4.1 (classification, observation); Virginia English SOL (informational reading)
Similar Lesson Plans: Inspired by EAA's aircraft-recognition activities used at fly-in events

Learning Objectives

Sort pictures of aircraft into categories based on observable features (wings, rotors, engines)
Use evidence (not guessing) to identify the category of a ‘mystery aircraft’
Explain one reason a design feature exists (e.g., why a helicopter has no wings)

Materials

A set of aircraft picture cards: airliner, small propeller plane, helicopter, glider, multirotor drone, hot air balloon, hybrid-electric eSTOL aircraft (like Electra's EL9)
A simple classification chart (Has wings? Has rotors? Has an engine? Carries people?)
‘Mystery card’ envelopes, one per group

Hands-On Activity

Introduce each aircraft type as a class using the picture cards and a short feature description.
In groups, students sort all picture cards using the chart, discussing evidence for each placement.
Each group receives a sealed ‘mystery card’ showing only a silhouette or partial image of one aircraft type and must use the classification chart to deduce what it is before opening the envelope to check.
Groups present their detective reasoning. E.G. - what clues told them it was a helicopter versus a glider.
Wrap up by introducing the newest category, eSTOL/hybrid-electric aircraft, and discussing what mystery clues might identify one in the future (small wings, propellers instead of jet engines, very short runway).

Differentiation

Support: Reduce to three clear categories (wings / rotors / balloon) with simplified picture cards.
Extend: Add uncommon categories like tiltrotor and seaplane and require a written justification with at least two pieces of evidence per identification.

Career Connection

Aircraft classification is literally the daily work of air traffic controllers and airport operations staff, who must instantly recognize what kind of aircraft they're clearing for takeoff or landing.

Assessment & Reflection

Correct classification of the mystery card with at least one piece of stated evidence.

Attach the Regional Aviation Career Connections module for your school's Virginia Aviation Board region to close this lesson with relevant local jobs, companies, and pathways.

Grades 6–8: Engineers

Middle schoolers can handle systems thinking: how the parts of an aircraft, an airport, or an airspace work together. These lessons introduce simulation and role-based problem solving.

Lesson Overview

Grade Band: 6–8
Time Needed: Two 50-minute sessions
Group Size: Teams representing airport roles
Core Topic: Airport operations as an interconnected system (safety, scheduling, maintenance, communication)
Standards: Virginia Science SOL 6.1, LS.1 (systems, models); Virginia CTE Career Investigations; Social Studies economics strand (systems and interdependence)
Similar Lesson Plans: Inspired by Civil Air Patrol AEX airport-operations unit and AOPA's Airport in a Box communityairport activities

Learning Objectives

Model how different airport jobs (pilot, air traffic controller, mechanic, ramp agent, dispatcher) depend on one another
Diagnose the cause of a simulated flight delay by tracing it through the system
Communicate using basic aviation radio phraseology

Materials

Role cards: Pilot, Air Traffic Controller, Mechanic, Dispatcher, Ramp Agent, Passenger (6 roles, repeat as needed for class size)
A simple printed airport diagram (runway, taxiway, gate, hangar)
‘Scenario cards’ describing a disruption (thunderstorm, mechanical issue, late passengers, ground stop)
Basic radio call script sheet (‘Ready for departure,’ ‘Runway clear,’ ‘Standing by’)

Hands-On Activity

Assign roles in small ‘airport teams.’ Each role reads a one-paragraph job description and reports its top responsibility to the group.
Walk through a normal, on-time flight together: dispatcher plans it, mechanic signs off the aircraft, ramp agent loads it, controller clears it, pilot flies it using the basic radio call script for realism.
Draw a scenario card (e.g., a thunderstorm rolls in 10 minutes before departure). Teams must decide, in role, what happens next and who talks to whom.
Teams present their scenario resolution to the class, explaining the chain of decisions.
Debrief: chart on the board how one disruption touched every single role; this is systems thinking.
Session 2: teams design their own disruption scenario for another team to solve, then swap.

Differentiation

Support: Reduce to 3 roles (Pilot, Controller, Mechanic) and provide sentence starters for each role's decision.
Extend: Add an economics layer: teams calculate the cost of a one-hour delay (fuel, crew time, passenger rebooking) using provided sample rates.

Career Connection

Directly names six aviation careers students just role-played: pilot, air traffic controller, aircraft mechanic, dispatcher, ramp/ground operations, and airport/airline management, all real jobs in Virginia.

Assessment & Reflection

Team scenario write-ups tracing the disruption through at least three roles, plus one radio-call exchange performed correctly.

Attach the Regional Aviation Career Connections module for your school's Virginia Aviation Board region to close this lesson with relevant local jobs, companies, and pathways.

Lesson Overview

Grade Band: 6–8
Time Needed: Two 45-minute sessions
Group Size: Teams of 3–4
Core Topic: Impact forces, structural design, and materials science as applied aerospace engineering
Standards: Virginia Science SOL PS.2, PS.9 (forces, energy); NGSS MS-PS2-2, MS-ETS1-1 through 1-4
Similar Lesson Plans: Inspired by NASA's egg-drop lander design challenges and EAA's structures-and-materials classroom kits

Learning Objectives

Apply Newton's laws to explain why a landing craft needs to absorb impact force
Design, build, and test a protective structure under a fixed budget of materials
Revise a design based on quantitative test data (drop height survived, material cost)

Materials

Raw eggs (one per team, plus extras for testing)
‘Material budget’: straws, cotton balls, cardboard, tape, string, cups — each item assigned a point cost, team has a fixed budget
Tarp or drop zone, ladder or stairwell for controlled drop height
Budget and design record sheet

Hands-On Activity

Introduce the challenge as a mission: design a lander that protects a ‘crew member’ (the egg) during a hard landing, on a limited materials budget, just like real aerospace teams work within mass and cost budgets.
Teams sketch a design, list materials needed and total their budget before building anything.
Teams build their lander within budget and time limit.
Test drops start low (3 ft) and increase in height for surviving landers, recording survival height per team.
Any egg that cracks is ‘retired’; teams write a one-paragraph failure analysis: what force broke through the design, and why.
Class ranks landers by survival height per dollar of budget spent, introducing the idea of engineering efficiency, not just raw performance.

Differentiation

Support: Provide a starter structure (a cup) that students must only modify, with a simplified 3-item budget.
Extend: Require a written engineering report including a free-body diagram of forces at impact and a cost-efficiency calculation.

Career Connection

Connect to structural/aerospace engineers who design crash-worthy aircraft seats, landing gear, and even spacecraft landers, real jobs solving this exact problem at a much bigger scale.

Assessment & Reflection

Design record sheet, test data, & either a redesign plan (if it cracked) or an efficiency reflection (if it survived).

Attach the Regional Aviation Career Connections module for your school's Virginia Aviation Board region to close this lesson with relevant local jobs, companies, and pathways.

Lesson Overview

Grade Band: 6–8
Time Needed: Two 50-minute sessions
Group Size: Teams of 3–4
Core Topic: Advanced Air Mobility (AAM): electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) and hybrid-electric aircraft design constraints
Standards: Virginia Science SOL PS.9 (energy); NGSS MS-ETS1-1 through 1-4 (engineering design)
Similar Lesson Plans: Framed around real Virginia-based AAM development at Electra.aero (Manassas) and industry eVTOL concepts nationally

Learning Objectives

Explain what AAM is and why companies are building electric and hybrid-electric aircraft
Design a paper/cardboard model aircraft that could plausibly take off and land in a very short distance
Defend design tradeoffs (battery weight vs. range, number of rotors vs. stability) using engineering reasoning

Materials

Cardstock, cardboard, small dowels or skewers, tape, scissors
Small propellers or pinwheel blades (optional, for visual rotors)
AAM design brief handout (a fictional short-hop city route the aircraft must serve)
Design scorecard: takeoff distance needed, estimated passenger count, estimated range

Hands-On Activity

Introduce Advanced Air Mobility: aircraft that take off and land vertically or in a very short distance, often powered fully or partly by batteries, designed to connect short regional routes without needing a full runway, exactly what Electra.aero is developing at Manassas Regional Airport in Virginia.
Present the design brief: teams must design an aircraft that can carry a small number of passengers on a short regional hop and land at a small local airfield.
Teams sketch two competing designs, one with more rotors for stability (like a multirotor eVTOL) and one with short, fixed wings plus rotors (like an eSTOL hybrid), and list one pro and one con of each.
Teams choose one design and build a physical model from cardstock and dowels, labeling where the battery, rotors/wings, and passenger cabin would go.
Teams complete a design scorecard estimating tradeoffs: more rotors generally means more stability but more weight and complexity; more battery generally means more range but less passenger capacity.
Session 2: teams present their model and defend one specific tradeoff decision to the class using evidence from their scorecard.

Differentiation

Support: Provide a partially built template model and have teams complete only the scorecard and defend one decision.
Extend: Require teams to calculate a rough power-to-weight estimate using provided sample numbers for battery weight and thrust.

Career Connection

This lesson exists to introduce AAM engineers, electric propulsion engineers, and flight test engineers.

Assessment & Reflection

Completed design scorecard and a two-minute team defense of one design tradeoff, with reasoning.

Attach the Regional Aviation Career Connections module for your school's Virginia Aviation Board region to close this lesson with relevant local jobs, companies, and pathways.

Lesson Overview

Grade Band: 6–8
Time Needed: 50 Minutes
Group Size: Teams of 3–4, rotating through one tunnel station
Core Topic: Airflow, drag, and how engineers actually test shapes before they build full aircraft
Standards: Virginia Science SOL PS.2 (force); NGSS MS-PS2-2 (forces and motion)
Similar Lesson Plans: Adapted from NASA's classroom wind-tunnel activities, simplified for a classroom box-fan setup

Learning Objectives

Build a simple wind tunnel using a box fan and a cardboard duct
Use streamers or smoke-free visualization tools to observe how air flows around different shapes
Compare the drag of at least three shapes and rank them from most to least aerodynamic

Materials

One box fan (teacher-operated) and a large cardboard box with both ends cut open to form a duct
Lightweight ribbon or tissue-paper streamers taped in a grid across the tunnel opening
Small test shapes on skewers: a flat card, a ball, a teardrop shape, a cube
Observation recording sheet

Hands-On Activity

Assemble the simple wind tunnel: box fan blowing into one end of the open cardboard duct, streamers taped across the exit to visualize airflow.
Turn on the fan and observe the streamers moving smoothly with no object in the tunnel; this is the baseline, undisturbed airflow.
Insert the flat card shape into the airflow on a skewer and observe how the streamers behind it become chaotic and turbulent; this turbulence represents drag.
Repeat with the ball, teardrop, and cube shapes, recording how much the streamers are disturbed for each (a simple 1–5 turbulence scale works well).
Rank the four shapes from least to most aerodynamic based on observed turbulence and connect the teardrop shape's smooth result to why airplane wings and car bodies are often curved rather than flat.
Discuss how real aerospace engineers use this method, just with far more sensitive equipment, to test aircraft shapes before they are ever built full-size.

Differentiation

Support: Provide a pre-labeled turbulence scale with pictures and have students only circle their observation rather than write a rating.
Extend: Have teams sketch & test a shape of their own design, predicting its turbulence ranking before testing it.

Career Connection

Directly introduces aerodynamicist and wind tunnel test engineer as real jobs; NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton Roads has operated full-size wind tunnels for over a century.

Assessment & Reflection

Completed observation sheet ranking all shapes, with one sentence connecting shape to drag.

Attach the Regional Aviation Career Connections module for your school's Virginia Aviation Board region to close this lesson with relevant local jobs, companies, and pathways.

Lesson Overview

Grade Band: 6–8
Time Needed: 45 Minutes
Group Size: Pairs
Core Topic: Rate, time, and distance math applied to aircraft separation, the core job of an air traffic controller
Standards: Virginia Math SOL 6.1, 7.1, 8.1 (rate, ratio, problem solving)
Similar Lesson Plans: Framed around real air traffic control separation concepts, simplified for middle school math

Learning Objectives

Calculate how far apart two aircraft are after a given amount of time, given their speeds
Determine whether two aircraft on a converging path will maintain safe separation
Explain why air traffic controllers must think several steps ahead, not just react in the moment

Materials

Simplified radar-screen worksheet (a grid representing airspace)
Scenario cards with two aircraft speeds, directions, and starting positions
Calculators (optional)

Hands-On Activity

Introduce the idea of separation minimums: real air traffic controllers must always keep aircraft a minimum safe distance apart, both sideways and at altitude.
Model one example scenario on the board: two aircraft on the grid, given speeds and directions, calculating their positions after 5- and 10-minutes using distance = speed × time.
In pairs, students work through 2–3 scenario cards, plotting aircraft positions at set time intervals and checking whether they stay a safe distance apart.
For any scenario where separation would be lost, students must propose a fix, such as a speed change, a turn, or an altitude change, and recalculate to confirm it resolves the conflict.
Class discusses which scenario was hardest to solve and why real controllers train for years to do this quickly, in real time, with many aircraft at once.

Differentiation

Support: Provide pre-plotted grid positions and have students only calculate the distance between two points.
Extend: Add a third aircraft to the scenario and require students to resolve conflicts between all three pairs.

Career Connection

This is the core daily task of an air traffic controller, a career with strong current hiring nationally and at major Virginia airports like Washington Dulles and Reagan National.

Assessment & Reflection

Correctly completed scenario worksheets, including one proposed and verified conflict resolution.

Attach the Regional Aviation Career Connections module for your school's Virginia Aviation Board region to close this lesson with relevant local jobs, companies, and pathways.

Grades 9–12: Pilots & Professionals

High schoolers are ready for real tools, sectional charts, flight-planning math, drone code, and the business side of the industry. These lessons intentionally connect aviation to multiple career interests, including business, law, IT, and design, not just piloting or engineering.

Lesson Overview

Grade Band: 9–12
Time Needed: Two 50-minute sessions
Group Size: Individual or pairs
Core Topic: Navigation, weather interpretation, and flight planning using authentic pilot tools
Standards: Virginia Math SOL A.1, A.4 (rate, distance, time, linear equations); Virginia CTE Aviation Maintenance/Piloting pathway; AOPA High School Aviation STEM Curriculum
Similar Lesson Plans: Built directly from AOPA's free High School Aviation STEM Curriculum flight-planning unit and downloadable sectional charts / E6B resources

Learning Objectives

Read a sectional aeronautical chart to identify airports, airspace, and landmarks
Calculate flight time, fuel burn, and groundspeed adjusted for wind using rate-distance-time math
Justify a go/no-go decision using weather minimums and personal risk factors

Materials

AOPA free sectional chart excerpt covering a Virginia region (downloadable)
E6B flight computer (physical or free app/online version)
Sample weather briefing printout (winds aloft, visibility, ceiling)
Flight-planning worksheet (route, checkpoints, time, fuel)

Hands-On Activity

Introduce basic chart symbols: airports, controlled airspace rings, obstacles, and frequencies. Students locate their home region on the chart.
Students select a departure and destination airport in Virginia and plot a straight-line route, marking at least two checkpoints.
Using distance from the chart and a given true airspeed, students calculate estimated time enroute with the E6B, then adjust for a sample headwind or tailwind.
Students calculate fuel required for the route plus a legal reserve and determine whether the aircraft can make the trip without a fuel stop.
Students review a sample weather briefing and apply simple personal minimums (a provided go/no-go checklist) to decide if the flight should launch as planned, delay, or divert.
Pairs present their flight plan and go/no-go decision to the class and defend their reasoning with the numbers.

Differentiation

Support: Provide a partially completed flight-planning worksheet with distance and speed pre-filled; focus only on the go/no-go decision.
Extend: Require students to plan a route with one required fuel stop and calculate total trip cost including fuel price per gallon.

Career Connection

Anchors directly to professional and private pilot careers and introduces flight dispatcher as a career for students who love the planning and math side more than the flying itself.

Assessment & Reflection

Completed flight-planning worksheet with correct time/fuel math and a written go/no-go justification citing specific weather data.

Attach the Regional Aviation Career Connections module for your school's Virginia Aviation Board region to close this lesson with relevant local jobs, companies, and pathways.

Lesson Overview

Grade Band: 9–12
Time Needed: Three 50-minute sessions
Group Size: Teams of 2–3
Core Topic: Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) design, basic block-based flight coding, and the regulatory environment drones fly in
Standards: Virginia CS SOL (algorithms, programming); Virginia CTE Engineering/Technology pathway; FAA Part 107 awareness (non-certifying, awareness-level only)
Similar Lesson Plans: Inspired by Civil Air Patrol AEX UAS units and Virginia Tech Mid-Atlantic Aviation Partnership K–12 outreach model, the FAA-designated drone test site based in Virginia's New River Valley

Learning Objectives

Explain why drones are regulated as aircraft and what airspace rules apply to them
Program a simple autonomous flight path for a classroom drone using block-based code
Evaluate a real-world drone application (delivery, agriculture, inspection, public safety) and its engineering tradeoffs

Materials

Classroom-safe programmable mini-drones (e.g., Tello or similar), one per team if available; a simulator/app substitute is acceptable if hardware is unavailable
Laptops/tablets with block-based coding interface
Printed FAA recreational-flyer basics one-pager (altitude limits, no-fly zones, registration)
Case-study cards on real UAS applications

Hands-On Activity

Discuss why a drone is legally an ‘aircraft’ and what that means: airspace rules, altitude limits, and no-fly zones near airports.
Introduce the concept of autonomous flight versus remote-control flight, using Virginia's own MAAP drone-delivery trials (the first commercial drone delivery in the U.S. happened in Virginia's New River Valley) as a real example.
Teams write and test a simple block-based program to fly a preset path (square, figure-eight, or waypoint sequence).
Teams debug their code after each test flight, refining for accuracy and safety.
Teams draw a real-world UAS case-study card (medical delivery, crop monitoring, infrastructure inspection, wildfire mapping, public safety) and research one engineering tradeoff their scenario requires (battery life vs. payload, range vs. weight, camera vs. cargo).
Teams present their case study and connect it back to their own flight test, explaining what would need to change about their code or hardware to fly that real mission.

Differentiation

Support: Provide a partially built code block sequence for students to complete and test rather than build from scratch.
Extend: Require students to add a sensor-triggered action (e.g., stop or turn on an obstacle cue) and to calculate battery-life-per-mission tradeoffs.

Career Connection

Opens UAS pilot, robotics/software engineer, and drone-fleet operations manager as fast-growing career paths.

Assessment & Reflection

A working (or debugged-in-progress) flight program, plus a written case-study analysis identifying one specific engineering tradeoff.

Attach the Regional Aviation Career Connections module for your school's Virginia Aviation Board region to close this lesson with relevant local jobs, companies, and pathways.

Lesson Overview

Grade Band: 9–12
Time Needed: Two 50-minute sessions
Group Size: Teams of 3–4
Core Topic: Aviation management, economics, and business strategy — built for students whose primary interest is business, finance, marketing, or law, applied to the aviation industry
Standards: Virginia Economics & Personal Finance SOL; Virginia CTE Business & Marketing pathway; Virginia CTE Aviation Management competencies
Similar Lesson Plans: Framework inspired by AOPA's High School Aviation STEM Curriculum ‘Aviation Business’ unit and the Virginia Department of Aviation's economic-impact reporting model

Learning Objectives

Explain how an airport or airline generates revenue and what drives its major costs
Analyze a simplified route-economics scenario to recommend whether a new route should launch
Connect at least one non-flying academic interest (business, marketing, law, data, environmental policy) to a specific aviation career

Materials

Simplified airline/airport ‘profit & loss’ worksheet with provided sample numbers (ticket revenue, fuel cost, crew cost, landing fees, load factor)
Route-decision case study handout (a fictional small Virginia airport considering a new route)
Chart paper for a pitch presentation

Hands-On Activity

Introduce how airports and airlines make money: passenger fares, cargo, landing fees, concessions, and how costs like fuel, crew, and maintenance eat into margins.
Teams review the case study: a small Virginia regional airport is deciding whether to support a new short-haul route. They are given passenger demand estimates, competing costs, and community factors.
Using the P&L worksheet, teams calculate whether the proposed route is likely to break even, profit, or lose money at the given assumptions.
Teams must also weigh at least one non-financial factor (community economic development, environmental impact, workforce availability) and explain how it affects their recommendation.
Teams prepare a two-minute pitch: go or no-go on the route, with numbers and reasoning.
Class holds a mock ‘airport authority board’ vote after hearing all pitches, then debriefs on where real airport boards (like Virginia's own regional aviation boards) make these exact tradeoffs.

Differentiation

Support: Provide a completed P&L calculation and ask students only to build the pitch and identify the non-financial factor.
Extend: Require a sensitivity analysis: how does the recommendation change if fuel costs rise 20% or load factor drops 15%?

Career Connection

This lesson exists specifically to show students that aviation careers are not limited to pilots and mechanics: airport management, aviation marketing, airline finance, aviation law, supply-chain/logistics, and aviation policy are all real paths for students whose passion is business, not engineering.

Assessment & Reflection

Completed P&L worksheet, written recommendation with financial and non-financial reasoning, and participation in the pitch.

Attach the Regional Aviation Career Connections module for your school's Virginia Aviation Board region to close this lesson with relevant local jobs, companies, and pathways.

Lesson Overview

Grade Band: 9–12
Time Needed: Two 50-minute sessions
Group Size: Debate teams of 3–4
Core Topic: The civic, safety, noise, and equity questions cities must answer as eVTOL aircraft become real
Standards: Virginia Government SOL GOVT.1, GOVT.9 (civic participation, public policy); Virginia English SOL (argumentative writing and speaking)
Similar Lesson Plans: Framed around real, current U.S. federal and Virginia state Advanced Air Mobility policy questions

Learning Objectives

Identify at least three real concerns communities raise about new eVTOL/AAM aircraft (noise, safety, airspace, equity of access)
Research and represent one stakeholder perspective (city government, aircraft manufacturer, airport neighbor, environmental group, rider)
Construct and deliver a persuasive argument using evidence, then respond to counterarguments

Materials

Stakeholder role cards (city planner, AAM manufacturer, nearby resident, environmental advocate, disability-access advocate, airline representative)
Research packet or approved website list (FAA Advanced Air Mobility page, Virginia DOAV Advanced Air Mobility page, news articles on Electra.aero)
Debate structure handout (opening statement, rebuttal, closing)

Hands-On Activity

Introduce the real-world context: Virginia has been directly involved in shaping how AAM aircraft will be allowed to fly, through partnerships like the Virginia Smart Airspace Program and the FAA's national AAM integration pilot program.
Assign each team a stakeholder role and give them time to research that stakeholder's real concerns and goals using approved sources.
Present the debate question: should a new eVTOL landing pad ('vertiport') be approved in a fictional Virginia town's downtown area?
Hold a structured debate: each team delivers an opening statement, then responds to at least one direct question from an opposing stakeholder.
After the debate, the class (acting as a town council) votes and explains which arguments were most persuasive and why.
Debrief: connect this exercise to real aviation policy careers; this exact kind of debate happens at real city councils and state agencies today.

Differentiation

Support: Provide a pre-written list of 3 arguments per stakeholder role for students to select from and build on.
Extend: Require each team to cite at least one specific real-world source (news article or agency page) in their opening statement.

Career Connection

Opens aviation policy analyst, urban/airspace planner, and regulatory affairs specialist as career paths for students drawn to government, law, or planning rather than engineering.

Assessment & Reflection

Participation in the debate plus a brief written reflection identifying the strongest argument the student heard from an opposing stakeholder.

Attach the Regional Aviation Career Connections module for your school's Virginia Aviation Board region to close this lesson with relevant local jobs, companies, and pathways.

Lesson Overview

Grade Band: 9–12
Time Needed: Three 50-minute sessions
Group Size: Teams of 2–3
Core Topic: Autonomous mission planning: programming a drone to complete a multi-step task
Standards: Virginia CS SOL (algorithms, conditionals, loops); Virginia CTE Engineering/Technology pathway
Similar Lesson Plans: Extends Lesson 16 (Drone Design & Autonomous Flight Challenge), inspired by real UAS workforce training now offered at several Virginia community colleges

Learning Objectives

Design an algorithm for a multi-step autonomous drone mission (search, inspect, report)
Implement conditional logic (if/then decision-making) in a block-based or beginner text-based coding environment
Evaluate mission success against a defined objective, and debug based on real flight results

Materials

Programmable classroom drones or a flight simulator/coding sandbox if hardware is unavailable
Block-based or beginner text-based coding interface with conditional logic support
A physical or taped out ‘mission field’ with markers representing inspection targets
Mission log sheet

Hands-On Activity

Introduce the concept of a real UAS mission: unlike a simple flight path, a real inspection or search mission requires the drone to make decisions; e.g., hover longer if a target is detected or go home if battery is low.
Teams design their mission algorithm using a flowchart with at least one conditional decision point.
Teams translate their flowchart into code, including at least one loop (repeat an inspection pattern) and one conditional (if/then).
Teams test their mission on the taped-out field, logging what worked and what didn't after each attempt.
Teams debug and refine their code across multiple test flights, aiming to complete the full mission (visit all markers) automatically.
Session 3: teams present their mission code and explain one specific bug they found and how they fixed it, real debugging, not just a clean final demo.

Differentiation

Support: Provide a working base mission code with one intentional bug for students to find and fix, rather than building from a blank flowchart.
Extend: Require a second conditional layer (e.g., different action depending on which marker is detected) and a written efficiency comparison between two mission versions.

Career Connection

This is the daily work of a UAS software/autonomy engineer, a career track directly supported by community college UAS programs now operating in multiple Virginia regions.

Assessment & Reflection

A working mission flowchart, functioning (or actively debugged) code, and a written debugging reflection.

Attach the Regional Aviation Career Connections module for your school's Virginia Aviation Board region to close this lesson with relevant local jobs, companies, and pathways.

Lesson Overview

Grade Band: 9–12
Time Needed: 50 Minutes
Group Size: Teams of 2–3
Core Topic: Materials science: why aerospace engineers obsess over strength-to-weight ratio
Standards: Virginia Science SOL PS.1, PS.2 (properties of matter, forces); Virginia CTE Engineering pathway
Similar Lesson Plans: Inspired by real aerospace-manufacturing material testing, connected to Virginia's own aerospace manufacturing sector

Learning Objectives

Test the strength of several everyday materials relative to their weight
Calculate and compare a simple strength-to-weight ratio for each material
Explain why aerospace manufacturers choose lightweight, high-strength materials like aluminum alloys and composites

Materials

Sample materials: index card, corrugated cardboard strip, balsa wood strip, plastic strip, aluminum foil (folded into a strip)
A small digital kitchen scale
Weights (washers or coins) and a simple bridge/beam test rig (two stacked books with a gap between them)
Data recording sheet

Hands-On Activity

Weigh each material sample and record its weight in grams.
Set up each sample as a small bridge across the gap between two stacked books.
Slowly add weights (washers or coins) to the center of each material sample until it visibly bends or fails, recording the maximum weight held.
Calculate a simple strength-to-weight ratio for each material: maximum weight held ÷ material weight.
Rank all tested materials from best to worst strength-to-weight ratio.
Discuss: real aircraft are built from materials like aluminum alloys and carbon-fiber composites specifically because they have an excellent strength-to-weight ratio; connect this directly to companies manufacturing these exact materials for aircraft in Virginia.

Differentiation

Support: Provide a partially completed data table and have students focus only on the final ranking and one explanation.
Extend: Have students research the actual strength-to-weight ratio of aluminum versus carbon-fiber composite and compare it to their classroom results.

Career Connection

Connects directly to materials engineers and manufacturing engineers working in Virginia's aerospace manufacturing sector, who solve this exact problem at industrial scale every day.

Assessment & Reflection

Completed data table with calculated ratios, a final ranking, and a two-sentence explanation of why strength-to-weight matters in aircraft design.

Attach the Regional Aviation Career Connections module for your school's Virginia Aviation Board region to close this lesson with relevant local jobs, companies, and pathways.

Print & Download

Download the complete K–12 aviation lesson plan library as a PDF to print or share with teachers.

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Regional Career Connections

Each region below contains career connections designed to integrate into any lesson in the Portal. Close each lesson with a real answer to “What opportunities are near me?”

View Lessons

Explore Virginia's Aviation Regions

Select anywhere in a region on the map, or choose a region tab below.

Select a region to view its lesson.

Region 1: Blue Ridge Highlands & Southwest Virginia

Region Overview

Includes the New River Valley, Roanoke, and far Southwest Virginia and serves airports such as Virginia Tech/Montgomery Executive, New River Valley, Blue Ridge Regional, Virginia Highlands, Twin County, and Lonesome Pine.

Local Airports & Aviation Anchors

Virginia Tech Montgomery Executive Airport, Blacksburg
Mid-Atlantic Aviation Partnership (MAAP), one of only a handful of FAA-designated uncrewed aircraft system (UAS) test sites in the entire United States
New River Valley regional airports supporting general aviation, flight training, and drone testing
New River / Wytheville Community College technical and manufacturing programs feeding regional aerospace suppliers

The Story: What's Happening Here

Southwest Virginia is one of the most important drone-testing regions in the country. In 2019, Christiansburg was the site of the first commercial drone delivery in the United States, a project built on years of research by Virginia Tech's MAAP. Today MAAP continues to test drone delivery, drone detection, and next-generation autonomous flight technology at Virginia Tech's Montgomery Executive Airport and Kentland Farm test sites, working with companies like Wing (an Alphabet/Google company) and Skydio. This region is where the future of uncrewed and autonomous flight is being tested before it reaches the rest of the country.

Local Career Pathways

Career

UAS / Drone Pilot
Aerospace/Robotics Engineer
Flight Test Technician
Airspace / Safety Analyst

What They Do

Flies and tests uncrewed aircraft for research, delivery, or inspection missions
Designs and improves drone airframes, sensors, and flight software
Sets up, runs, and records data from real test flights
Works out FAA rules for how drones safely share the sky

Local Connection

Virginia Tech MAAP, Kentland Farm test site
Virginia Tech College of Engineering / MAAP research teams
MAAP test operations
MAAP regulatory research team

Pathway

FAA Part 107 certificate; 2-year or 4-year degree helpful, not always required
4-year engineering degree (aerospace, mechanical, computer)
2-year technical degree or aviation maintenance certificate
4-year degree (aviation, policy, or engineering)

Classroom Activity: Differentiated by Grade Band

K–2: Watch a short video of a delivery drone flying (teacher-selected) and use a small drone kit to build a drone with the students and possibly do a flying demonstration.

3–5: Using library Lesson 4 (Design a Glider), add a twist: could your design carry a tiny 'package' (a paperclip) without changing how far it flies? Discuss why real delivery drones must balance payload and distance.

6–8: Extend library Lesson 5 (Airport in a Box) by adding a 'Drone Operator' role card. Discuss how a drone flying near an airport must coordinate with air traffic control, just like MAAP does in real research flights.

9–12: Extend library Lesson 8 (Drone Design & Autonomous Flight Challenge) with a research add-on: have students look up one current MAAP project and identify what real-world problem it is trying to solve.

Bring It to Life

Invite a guest speaker from Virginia Tech's Mid-Atlantic Aviation Partnership or plan a field trip to Montgomery Executive Airport. Local flight schools and the regional airport office can often provide a tour or a Young Eagles flight day through EAA.

Additional Education & Training Opportunities

Mountain Empire Community College (Big Stone Gap), offers an Aerial Drone Geo-Spatial Mapping and Surveyors course, developed in direct partnership with Aurora Flight Sciences (a Boeing company), training students, including workers transitioning from the coal industry, to operate drones and drone sensors for commercial and government mapping work

Roanoke-Blacksburg Regional Airport, the region's larger commercial-service airport, offering a look at scheduled airline operations alongside the smaller general-aviation fields already listed

Virginia Western Community College (Roanoke), regional technical and workforce training that feeds manufacturing and skilled-trade pipelines connected to the broader aerospace supply chain

Additional Industry & Employers

Aurora Flight Sciences (a Boeing company) operates a Centaur optionally-piloted aircraft (an aircraft that can fly with or without a pilot on board) out of Lonesome Pine Airport in Wise County, right in this region, a direct, hands-on tie between a Fortune 500 aerospace company and rural Southwest Virginia

A growing cluster of uncrewed-systems and geospatial-mapping small businesses across the New River Valley and far Southwest Virginia, many working directly with community college UAS graduates

A New Angle for the Classroom

This region is proof that a rural Virginia community can become a hub for the newest part of the aviation industry. Frame a classroom discussion around the Mountain Empire Community College story specifically: a coalfield community built a pipeline from an old industry (coal) directly into a brand-new one (drone mapping), through one community college partnership with a Boeing company. It's a strong example of what workforce transition can look like.

Go Further

Region 2: Shenandoah Valley & Blue Ridge

Region Overview

Includes Harrisonburg, Staunton, Charlottesville, Winchester, and Front Royal, serving airports such as Shenandoah Valley Regional, Charlottesville-Albemarle, and Front Royal-Warren County.

Local Airports & Aviation Anchors

Shenandoah Valley Regional Airport, Weyers Cave, home to Blue Ridge Community College's Aviation Maintenance Technology program
Blue Ridge Community College (BRCC), FAA-approved Aviation Maintenance Training School under 14 CFR Part 147
Dynamic Aviation, a major charter and special-mission aviation operator with a close hiring partnership with BRCC graduates
Charlottesville-Albemarle Airport, serving central Shenandoah Valley air travel

The Story: What's Happening Here

Right at the Shenandoah Valley Regional Airport, Blue Ridge Community College runs a full FAA-certified Aviation Maintenance Technology program that trains the mechanics who keep every airplane in the sky legally airworthy. Students split time between classroom learning (about half can be completed online) and hands-on lab work inside a real hangar, working on real aircraft engines. Graduates can sit for the FAA's Airframe and Powerplant exams, and many are hired directly by Dynamic Aviation, a Shenandoah Valley-based aviation company, often before they even finish the program. Virginia lawmakers have visited BRCC's program and called it a model for the rest of the state.

Local Career Pathways

Career

Aircraft Mechanic (A&P Technician)
Avionics Technician
Charter / Special-Mission Pilot
Airport Operations

What They Do

Inspects, maintains, & repairs airframes and engines to keep aircraft airworthy
Maintains and repairs an aircraft's electronic and navigation systems
Flies aircraft for cargo, survey, or specialized missions
Manages the airport, including safety, scheduling, ground services

Local Connection

Blue Ridge Community College AMT program at Shenandoah Valley Regional Airport
BRCC AMT coursework; regional charter operators
Dynamic Aviation, headquartered in the Shenandoah Valley
Shenandoah Valley Regional & Charlottesville-Albemarle airports

Pathway

FAA-approved AMT certificate/associate degree (12–24 months at BRCC)
AMT training plus avionics specialization
Private & commercial pilot certificates; required flight hours
On-the-job training; aviation management degree

Classroom Activity: Differentiated by Grade Band

K–2: Show pictures of mechanics' tools (wrench, headset, hangar) alongside library Lesson 1 (Can It Fly?) and let students 'inspect' a model airplane the way a mechanic checks a real one before flight.

3–5: After library Lesson 3 (Straw Rocket Lab), explain that real mechanics also test and re-test; they check an aircraft before every single flight, not just once.

6–8: Extend library Lesson 6 (Egg-Drop Lander) by asking, “After a hard landing, who checks the aircraft before it flies again?” Introduce the A&P mechanic's role in a post-flight inspection.

9–12: Extend library Lesson 9 (Business of Flight) with a cost angle: research roughly how many hours of maintenance a small aircraft needs per year and estimate what that costs an owner or a charter company like Dynamic Aviation.

Bring It to Life

Contact Blue Ridge Community College's Aviation Maintenance Technology program directly about a hangar tour at Shenandoah Valley Regional Airport or invite a BRCC instructor or Dynamic Aviation employee as a guest speaker.

Additional Education & Training Opportunities

Lord Fairfax Community College (Middletown/Fauquier): regional workforce and technical training supporting the northern end of the Shenandoah Valley aviation and manufacturing corridor

Winchester Regional Airport: an additional general-aviation field in the northern Shenandoah Valley, useful for a shorter local field trip if Shenandoah Valley Regional is farther from your school

Additional Industry & Employers

Dynamic Aviation's full range of special-mission work, beyond charter flight, the company also performs aerial application (agricultural spraying), aerial firefighting support, and government/research contract flying, which is worth naming explicitly as a wider set of career options than 'pilot' alone

A regional agricultural-technology sector increasingly interested in aerial imaging and crop monitoring, a natural pairing with BRCC's aviation maintenance graduates and future UAS coursework

A New Angle for the Classroom

Use this region to show that 'aviation company' doesn't always mean 'airline.' Dynamic Aviation alone touches charter flight, agriculture, firefighting support, and government research, a single Shenandoah Valley company with four or five very different aviation career paths inside it. That's a great prompt for older students: pick one Dynamic Aviation mission type and research what a typical day looks like for someone doing that job.

Go Further

Region 3: Northern Virginia

Region Overview

Includes Manassas, Leesburg, Winchester, Culpeper, and the D.C. suburbs, serving airports such as Manassas Regional, Washington Dulles International, Washington National, and Leesburg Executive.

Local Airports & Aviation Anchors

Manassas Regional Airport headquarters of Electra.aero, a hybrid-electric aircraft manufacturer
Washington Dulles International Airport, one of the busiest international air-cargo and passenger hubs on the East Coast
Washington National (Reagan) Airport, a major commercial passenger hub
A growing Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) ecosystem, backed by the Virginia Department of Aviation and Virginia Tech's Smart Airspace program

The Story: What's Happening Here

Manassas Regional Airport is home to Electra.aero, an aerospace company building the EL9, a nine-passenger hybrid-electric aircraft that can take off and land in as little as 150 feet, without a traditional runway. Electra has grown its Manassas headquarters into a 36,000-square-foot facility plus a new 15,000-square-foot hangar, more than doubled its workforce in a single year, and was named the lead private-company partner in a new federal program to safely integrate this kind of aircraft into everyday airspace. Meanwhile, just down the road, Washington Dulles moves passengers and cargo around the world every day. Northern Virginia is where the traditional airline industry and the brand-new electric-aircraft industry sit side by side.

Local Career Pathways

Career

Aerospace / Electrical Engineer
Flight Test Engineer / Pilot
Air Traffic Controller
Airport / Cargo Logistics Manager

What They Do

Designs hybrid-electric propulsion, batteries, and airframes for next-generation aircraft
Flies and evaluates new aircraft prototypes like Electra's EL9 and EL2 demonstrators
Directs aircraft safely through some of the busiest airspace in the country
Manages passenger flow, cargo operations, or airline ground services at a major hub

Local Connection

Electra.aero, headquartered at Manassas Regional Airport
Electra.aero flight test operations
Washington Dulles and Washington National towers
Washington Dulles International Airport

Pathway

4-year engineering degree (aerospace, electrical, mechanical)
Engineering or aviation degree plus flight experience; test-pilot roles require significant flight hours
FAA Academy training after hiring; a degree can help but is not always required
Aviation management or business degree; on-the-job advancement common

Classroom Activity: Differentiated by Grade Band

K–2: Introduce the idea of an electric airplane: compare a toy electric car to a toy gas car and ask what might be different about a plane that runs on a battery instead of only fuel.

3–5: After library Lesson 4 (Design a Glider), ask teams to add one 'green' design goal (lighter weight, less material) and connect it to why companies like Electra are trying to make flight cleaner.

6–8: Extend library Lesson 5 (Airport in a Box) by comparing a huge hub airport (Dulles) to a smaller regional field (Manassas); what roles exist at one but not the other?

9–12: Extend library Lesson 9 (Business of Flight) by researching Electra's EL9 aircraft and debating, as a class: what would it take for hybrid-electric regional flights to become common in Virginia in the next 10 years?

Bring It to Life

Ask Manassas Regional Airport's administration office about a tour, or invite a representative from Electra.aero, Washington Dulles operations, or the Virginia Department of Aviation's Advanced Air Mobility team to speak with students.

Additional Education & Training Opportunities

Northern Virginia Community College, Manassas Campus offers Engineering Technology and related STEM coursework right at the same airport where Electra.aero is headquartered, a strong 'feeder' pathway worth naming even though it isn't an aviation-titled program

George Mason University's Volgenau College of Engineering (Fairfax) offers mechanical and systems engineering coursework applicable to aerospace and autonomous-systems careers, for students looking at a four-year path close to home

Additional Industry & Employers

Aurora Flight Sciences, a Boeing Company, headquartered at Manassas Regional Airport since the early 1990s, Aurora designs and manufactures uncrewed aerial vehicles and advanced autonomous aircraft, and has grown its Manassas robotics and integration facility with state-supported investment; this sits at the very same airport as Electra.aero, making Manassas Regional a true two-company Advanced Air Mobility and UAS hub

Washington Dulles International Airport's cargo operations, one of the busiest air-cargo gateways on the East Coast, is a strong example of logistics and supply-chain aviation careers distinct from passenger service

A New Angle for the Classroom

Manassas Regional Airport is now home to two very different but related companies, Electra.aero (hybrid-electric passenger aircraft) and Aurora Flight Sciences/Boeing (uncrewed aircraft), at the very same airfield. That makes this region an unusually strong one for directly comparing crewed Advanced Air Mobility careers to uncrewed/UAS careers in a single class discussion, using two real employers a few hundred yards apart.

Go Further

Region 4: Greater Richmond

Region Overview

Includes Richmond, Hanover, New Kent, and the surrounding capital region, serving airports such as Richmond International, Richmond Executive-Chesterfield County, and Hanover County Municipal.

Local Airports & Aviation Anchors

Richmond International Airport (RIC), the Commonwealth's largest passenger and cargo hub in the capital region, and headquarters of the Virginia Department of Aviation
Richmond Executive-Chesterfield County Airport, a major general-aviation and corporate-flight airport
A concentration of airline, cargo, ground-services, and state-government aviation employers all within one region

The Story: What's Happening Here

Richmond International Airport is where the business of flying in Virginia is coordinated at the state level: it is the headquarters of the Virginia Department of Aviation, the agency that funds airport projects, licenses pilots and airports, and runs the very scholarship and educational programs this lesson library connects to. Around RIC and Richmond Executive-Chesterfield, students can see the full range of what keeps a mid-size hub airport running: airline operations, cargo and freight handling, corporate and charter flight departments, and the state regulators who oversee it all.

Local Career Pathways

Career

Airline Customer & Ground Operations
Air Cargo & Logistics Specialist
State Aviation Policy Analyst
Corporate / Charter Pilot

What They Do

Manages check-in, boarding, baggage, and ramp coordination for airline flights
Coordinates freight moving in and out of the airport by air
Helps allocate state aviation funds and supports airports are planned
Flies business or private aircraft for companies based in Richmond

Local Connection

Richmond International Airport
RIC cargo operations
Virginia DOAV, headquartered at RIC
Richmond Executive-Chesterfield County Airport

Pathway

High school diploma; many advance into supervisory/management roles
Logistics/supply-chain coursework helpful; on-the-job training common
4-year degree in public policy, business, or aviation management
Private and commercial pilot certificates; required flight hours

Classroom Activity: Differentiated by Grade Band

K–2: Show a photo of RIC Airport and let students spot as many kinds of vehicles as they can (planes, luggage carts, fuel trucks); connect each to library Lesson 2 (Looking Upward) by asking which ones care most about the weather.

3–5: Extend library Lesson 3 (Straw Rocket Lab) by discussing how RIC handles both passengers and cargo; ask students to sketch how a package (like their straw rocket) might travel from a delivery truck onto a cargo plane.

6–8: Extend library Lesson 5 (Airport in a Box) with a Richmond-specific twist: add a 'State Regulator' role that has to approve funding for an airport improvement, modeling the Virginia Department of Aviation's real role.

9–12: Extend library Lesson 9 (Business of Flight) using Richmond International as the real airport case study; research one actual RIC statistic (passengers served, cargo volume) to ground the pitch in real numbers.

Bring It to Life

Richmond International Airport and the Virginia Department of Aviation's Educational Programs and Ambassador Program are strong starting points for a field trip request or classroom visitor.

Additional Education & Training Opportunities

J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College (Richmond), regional workforce and technical training programs that support logistics, supply chain, and general aviation-adjacent trades feeding the RIC Airport economy

Virginia Commonwealth University's da Vinci Center, an interdisciplinary innovation program connecting engineering, business, and design students, a good option to mention for students interested in aviation product design or aviation business innovation rather than a flight-specific major

Additional Industry & Employers

Richmond International Airport's growing air-cargo operations, which connect the capital region to national freight and logistics networks, a strong example for students interested in supply-chain and logistics careers layered on top of the airline/airport roles already covered

A cluster of corporate flight departments based at Richmond Executive-Chesterfield County Airport, supporting Richmond-area businesses that operate their own aircraft for company travel

A New Angle for the Classroom

Because Richmond is the seat of Virginia's state government and the DOAV, this region is the best one in the state for a civics-meets-aviation lesson: have students trace how a real Virginia airport-improvement decision actually gets made, from a local airport's request, through DOAV review, to state funding, pairing with the library's Business of Flight lesson.

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Region 5: Lynchburg & South-Central Virginia

Region Overview

Includes Lynchburg, Danville, Farmville, and Smith Mountain Lake, serving airports such as Lynchburg Regional, Danville Regional, and Farmville Regional.

Local Airports & Aviation Anchors

Lynchburg Regional Airport, home to Liberty University's School of Aeronautics, one of the largest university flight and aviation-maintenance programs in the state
Danville Regional Airport, serving South Central Virginia general aviation and regional business flight
A full pipeline in one region: flight training, aviation maintenance certification, and four-year aviation degrees, all reachable from the same metro area

The Story: What's Happening Here

Lynchburg is a full-service aviation education town. Liberty University's School of Aeronautics, based at Lynchburg Regional Airport, offers everything from a 12-month FAA aviation-maintenance certificate to full bachelor's degrees in professional flight and aviation management. That means a student in this region could realistically go from a middle school lesson about the four forces of flight, to a Young Eagles flight in high school, to an actual pilot or A&P certificate a few years later, without ever leaving the region.

Local Career Pathways

Career

Professional / Airline Pilot
Aircraft Maintenance Technician (A&P)
Aviation Management Professional
Flight Instructor

What They Do

Trains to fly commercially, starting in flight school and building certificates and hours
Certifies and repairs aircraft to keep them airworthy
Runs the business side of an airline, airport, or flight school
Teaches new pilots to fly, often as a first job after earning a commercial certificate

Local Connection

Liberty University School of Aeronautics, Lynchburg Regional Airport
Liberty University's FAA-approved maintenance certificate program
Liberty University aviation management degree track
Regional flight schools around Lynchburg and Danville

Pathway

4-year professional flight degree or standalone flight-school certificates
12-month FAA certificate up to a full degree track
4-year aviation management or business degree
Commercial pilot certificate plus a Certified Flight Instructor (CFI) rating

Classroom Activity: Differentiated by Grade Band

K–2: Pair with library Lesson 1 (Can It Fly?) and let students 'become flight instructors' for the day, explaining to a partner in their own words why one object flew and another didn't.

3–5: Extend library Lesson 4 (Design a Glider) with a mini 'flight school' format: each team teaches another team how to fly their glider design, practicing the idea of a flight instructor passing on skills.

6–8: Extend library Lesson 6 (Egg-Drop Lander) by discussing how a maintenance technician inspects an aircraft after any hard landing before it's allowed to fly again; connect to the A&P career pathway.

9–12: Extend library Lesson 7 (Plan a Cross-Country Flight) by researching how many flight hours and which certificates are required to go from student pilot to airline pilot and mapping that timeline against a local flight-school or Liberty University pathway.

Bring It to Life

Liberty University's School of Aeronautics regularly hosts visitors and prospective-student events; reach out about a tour, guest speaker, or a discovery flight opportunity for older students.

Additional Education & Training Opportunities

Central Virginia Community College (Lynchburg) offers regional workforce and technical training that complements Liberty University's four-year and certificate aviation pathways for students who want to start at a two-year college first

Additional Industry & Employers

A network of flight schools and fixed-base operators around Lynchburg Regional and Danville Regional airports offering entry-level ramp, line-service, and flight-instruction jobs that many aviation students hold while still in high school or their first year of college

Corporate and business aviation activity supporting Lynchburg-area manufacturing and healthcare companies, a good example of aviation careers that exist to support a completely different industry

A New Angle for the Classroom

This region offers a complete, visible ladder: a student can picture themselves at the bottom rung (a part-time ramp or line-service job at Lynchburg Regional while still in high school) and see, one rung at a time, exactly how that connects to a Liberty University aviation degree and a professional flying or maintenance career, all without leaving the region.

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Region 6: Southside Virginia

Region Overview

Includes Brunswick, Mecklenburg, Lunenburg, and Franklin, serving airports such as Mecklenburg-Brunswick Regional, Franklin Regional, Emporia-Greenville Regional, and Lake Country Regional.

Local Airports & Aviation Anchors

A network of small general-aviation airports supporting agriculture, forestry, and rural business flight across Southside Virginia
Regional community colleges (such as Southside Virginia Community College) offering workforce and technical training that feeds into aviation-adjacent manufacturing and maintenance fields
Growing rural logistics and agricultural-technology interest in unmanned aircraft for crop monitoring and land survey

The Story: What's Happening Here

Southside Virginia's airports are smaller than the big hubs, but they matter just as much: general-aviation airports here support local businesses, agricultural spraying and crop-monitoring flights, medical transport, and pilots who simply live and fly in the region. This is also a region well positioned to grow in agricultural drone technology, using small UAS to monitor crops, livestock, and forestland, an emerging use of aviation that connects directly to the area's farming and forestry economy.

Local Career Pathways

Career

Agricultural / Aerial Applicator Pilot
Agricultural UAS / Drone Operator
Airport Manager (Small/Regional Field)
Aviation Maintenance / Technical Trades

What They Do

Flies specially equipped aircraft to treat crops or monitor farmland from the air
Uses drones to monitor crop health, irrigation, and land conditions for farms
Runs the day-to-day operations of a small general-aviation airport
Services small aircraft engines and equipment, applying broader technical-trade skills to aviation

Local Connection

Regional general-aviation airports across Southside
Emerging opportunity tied to the region's agriculture and forestry economy
Mecklenburg-Brunswick, Franklin, and other Southside regional airports
Regional workforce and technical training programs

Pathway

Commercial pilot certificate plus specialized agricultural-aviation training
FAA Part 107 certificate; community college UAS or ag-technology coursework
Aviation management coursework or on-the-job experience; often a community-facing local role
Community college technical certificate; can transfer toward an A&P credential at a partner program

Classroom Activity: Differentiated by Grade Band

K–2: Pair with library Lesson 2 (Looking Upward) and discuss how farmers and pilots both watch the weather closely before working outside or flying.

3–5: Extend library Lesson 4 (Design a Glider) by asking teams to imagine their glider is a tiny crop-monitoring drone: what would it need to carry (a camera) and how might that change the design?

6–8: Extend library Lesson 5 (Airport in a Box) by discussing what's different about a small rural airport versus a big city airport — fewer roles, but each one matters more.

9–12: Extend library Lesson 9 (Business of Flight) by researching how agricultural drone services are priced per acre and building a simple cost estimate for a hypothetical local farm client.

Bring It to Life

Reach out to a regional general-aviation airport manager or a local community college's technical/workforce programs office about a visit or connect with a nearby agricultural extension office about drone use in local farming.

Additional Education & Training Opportunities

Regional GO Virginia workforce grants have funded new unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) training at rural Virginia community colleges in recent years, part of a statewide push to bring drone-technology credentials to areas outside the major metro regions, worth a direct call to your local community college's workforce development office to ask what UAS or agricultural-technology coursework is currently available in Southside specifically

Additional Industry & Employers

Forestry and land management companies across Southside Virginia are increasingly early adopters of drone-based land survey and timber-health monitoring, an extension of the region's agricultural-drone operations

Rural healthcare systems piloting drone-based medical-supply delivery in less-populated areas nationally, a forward-looking discussion topic even where no local pilot program yet exists, useful for a 'what could come next in our region' classroom conversation

A New Angle for the Classroom

Southside is the region where the answer to 'what's the big local aviation company?' is 'there isn't one flagship company yet, but the technology (drones) is small and affordable enough that it could start here.' Turn that into the lesson itself: have students research what one local farm, forestry operation, or hospital system could realistically use a drone for, and sketch what that first local UAS business might look like.

Go Further

Region 7: Hampton Roads

Region Overview

Includes Norfolk, Hampton, Newport News, Chesapeake, Williamsburg, and the Eastern Shore, serving airports such as Norfolk International, Newport News-Williamsburg International, Chesapeake Regional, and Hampton Roads Executive.

Local Airports & Aviation Anchors

NASA Langley Research Center, Hampton, NASA's first and oldest field center, America's original civil aeronautics research lab, employing roughly 3,000+ civil servants and contractors
Norfolk International and Newport News-Williamsburg International airports, the region's major commercial hubs
Hampton University's Department of Aviation, ranked #1 in Virginia for aviation programs, plus satellite campuses of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
Nineteen military installations across all five branches, giving Hampton Roads one of the highest concentrations of military aviation in the country
The Virginia Air & Space Center in Hampton, the official visitor center for NASA Langley

The Story: What's Happening Here

Hampton Roads has been at the center of American aviation and space research since 1917, when the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) built the country's first civilian aeronautics lab in Hampton — the lab that became NASA Langley Research Center in 1958. Langley researchers have worked on everything from early flight aerodynamics to Apollo-era astronaut training to today's next-generation aircraft and climate-science instruments. Hampton Roads is also a major military aviation region, home to installations across all five branches of the armed forces, and a growing hub for university aviation programs, including a Hampton University aviation department ranked #1 in the state.

Local Career Pathways

Career

NASA Aerospace Research Engineer / Scientist
Military Aviator / Aviation Technician
Airline / Airport Operations Professional
University Aviation Faculty / Flight Instructor

What They Do

Researches and tests next-generation aircraft, materials, and flight systems
Flies or maintains military aircraft across any of five service branches
Keeps commercial passenger and cargo flights running smoothly
Trains the next generation of pilots and aviation professionals

Local Connection

NASA Langley Research Center, Hampton
19 military installations across Hampton Roads
Norfolk International and Newport News-Williamsburg International airports
Hampton University Department of Aviation; Embry-Riddle satellite campuses

Pathway

4-year (often graduate) degree in aerospace, mechanical, or a related engineering/science field
Military commissioning or enlistment pathways; many technical roles transfer directly to civilian aviation careers
High school diploma to start many roles; aviation management degree helps for advancement
Advanced flight certificates and/or graduate degree, depending on the teaching role

Classroom Activity: Differentiated by Grade Band

K–2: Pair with library Lesson 2 (Looking Upward) and introduce NASA as 'scientists who study the sky and space,' showing an age-appropriate image of NASA Langley or an astronaut.

3–5: Extend library Lesson 3 (Straw Rocket Lab) by connecting straw rockets to real NASA research; NASA Langley has tested real rockets, aircraft, and even spacecraft landers just a short drive from this region's schools.

6–8: Extend library Lesson 6 (Egg-Drop Lander) by explicitly connecting it to NASA Langley's own history of testing landers and crew-safety systems, the exact same engineering problem, at NASA's real scale.

9–12: Extend library Lesson 8 (Drone Design & Autonomous Flight Challenge) or Lesson 9 (Business of Flight) by having students research one current NASA Langley program and one Hampton Roads military aviation career, then compare the required education path for each.

Bring It to Life

The Virginia Air & Space Center in Hampton (NASA Langley's official visitor center) offers school programs and field-trip-ready exhibits. Hampton University's Department of Aviation and local Civil Air Patrol squadrons are also strong contacts for guest speakers.

Additional Education & Training Opportunities

Old Dominion University (Norfolk) offers a graduate Aerospace Engineering program (M.S., M.E., and Ph.D.) through the Batten College of Engineering and Technology, located about 20 minutes from NASA Langley Research Center with active research ties to NASA Langley, the Air Force Research Laboratory, and the Naval Research Laboratory

Thomas Nelson Community College (Hampton), one of the first Virginia community colleges approved for the FAA's Unmanned Aircraft Systems Collegiate Training Initiative (UAS-CTI), offering Remote Pilot Ground School, hands-on small-UAS flight courses, and a drone-building/maintenance course

Eastern Shore Community College (Melfa), just north of Hampton Roads, has rapidly built a UAS workforce program in partnership with NASA's Wallops Flight Facility and Sentinel Robotic Solutions, preparing over 110 students for their FAA commercial UAS pilot's license to date, a strong example of a rural-coastal aviation pipeline worth mentioning to Hampton Roads-area classrooms

Additional Industry & Employers

Naval Air Station Oceana, in Virginia Beach, the U.S. Navy's East Coast Master Jet Base and home to Atlantic Fleet strike-fighter squadrons, one of the most concentrated active military aviation operations on the East Coast

A dense regional cluster of federal aerospace contractors and research firms supporting NASA Langley and the Department of Defense, offering engineering and technical career paths beyond NASA's own civil-service roles

A New Angle for the Classroom

Hampton Roads is the one region in Virginia where a single class period can span the entire history and future of flight: NASA Langley's century of aeronautics research, Naval Air Station Oceana's frontline jet operations today, and Thomas Nelson Community College's brand-new FAA-recognized drone program preparing students for tomorrow's UAS careers, all within about a 30-minute drive of each other.

Go Further

Print & Download

Download the complete Regional Aviation Career Connections module as a PDF to print or share with teachers.

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Aviation Resource Library

This library compiles all established, aviation-education programs available to the public. Teachers are encouraged to utilize these resources and register for programs directly, as many offer additional free materials, guest speakers, and even flight experiences for students.

Virginia Department of Aviation

Aviation Educational Program Portal:

Central hub for grants, scholarships, and outreach events statewide.

Teachers Grants for Aviation Education:

Receive up to $500 in reimbursement for teaching an aviation-themed lesson.

Aviation Career Exploration

AOPA Aviation Career Pathways:
Commercial piloting, business aviation, and flight instruction careers.

AeroEducate Career Badges:
Career exploration badges across aviation disciplines.

FAA Career Resources:
Air Traffic Control, Safety, Engineering, and Administrative pathways

American Institute of Aeronautics & Astronautics

AIAA Aerospace Micro-Lessons:
20-minute modules on propulsion, orbital mechanics, and UAVs

AIAA Design-Build-Fly Competition:
Student teams design, build, and fly remote-controlled aircraft.

Aircraft Owners & Pilots Association

AOPA High School Curriculum:
Free curriculum covering aerodynamics, weather, navigation, and regulations.

AOPA Online Learning Resources:
Interactive charts, flight planning tools, and career videos.

AOPA Air Safety Institute:
Free courses on weather, aerodynamics, and pilot decision-making.

Civil Air Patrol

CAP Aerospace Lesson Plans:
Ready-to-use lessons on aerodynamics, rocketry, and aviation history.

CAP ACE Program:
Aerospace education for schools without requiring cadet membership.

Civil Air Patrol Cadet Program:
Leadership, aerospace education, and flight orientation for ages 12–20.

EAA AeroEducate

AeroEducate — EAA’s K–12 Platform:

STEM-aligned lessons, career badges, and mentor connections.

Young Eagles Program:
Free introductory flights for youth ages 8–17 with volunteer pilots.

EAA 5-Step Flight Plan:
A structured guide for aviation exposure, introduction, experience, training & achievement.

Federal Aviation Administration

FAA Aviation Career Education (ACE) Academy:

Career exploration experiences at FAA facilities for students 13–18.

FAA K–12 Curriculum Center:

Complete curriculum resources aligned to STEM standards for every level.

FAA Civil Aerospace Medical Institute:
Aviation medicine and human factors resources.

Free Curriculum Guides & Courseware

Sporty’s Free Student Pilot Course:
Video-based, self-paced intro to basic aerodynamics and preflight.

“Try Engineering” Aerospace Lessons:
Free engineering lesson plans with clear materials lists.

PBS Aerospace Engineering Collection:
Video clips and activities on lift, propulsion, and materials

Museum of Aviation Educator Resources:
Curriculum guides, professional workshops, and virtual field trips from a major air power museum

NASA Aeronautics & Advanced Air Mobility

NASA K–12 Aeronautics Activities:
FoilSim, EngineSim, and BallPark interactive flight tools.

NASA AAM STEM Toolkit:
Lesson plans, activities, and career profiles on drone taxis and air taxis.

NASA AAM STEM Learning Module:
A complete module on eVTOL technology and urban air mobility.

NASA STEM Engagement Hub:
Grants, competitions, and internships aligned to NGSS and Common Core.

Scholarships, Contests & Student Opportunities

DOAV Virginia Aviation Scholarship Calendar:
All aviation scholarships offered to Virginia students annually.

Science Olympiad Virginia Aviation Events:
Active Virginia student teams competing in aviation and aerospace themed contests

NASA Internships Portal:
Paid research and engineering internships, including NASA Langley.

UAS & Drone Education

FAA UAS Educator Resources:
Airspace education, Part 107 materials, and B4UFLY app guidance

FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot Study Guide:

Official study guide for the commercial drone pilot exam

DroneBlocks Coding for Drones:
Block-based coding platform for flying drones in the classroom

UCAR Center for Science Education

STEM Lesson Plans:
Aviation-STEM classroom integration with aerodynamics, meteorology, and aircraft systems

UCAR Teaching with Drones Toolkit:
Drone physics and weather-sensing lessons with safety guides

UAV Flight School:

Learn basic aviation terminology and practice simple controls with a flight simulator and UAVs.

University & Professional Development

Embry-Riddle Aviation 101 (free course):
Intro course on the basics of flight and the aviation industry

SAFE K–12 Educational Resources:
Curated aviation education resources and classroom integration guidance

MIT OpenCourseWare Aeronautics & Astronautics:
Complete free lecture notes, problem sets, and exams

Virginia Aviation & Aerospace Centers

National Air & Space Museum (Chantilly, VA):
Free admission; Space Shuttle Discovery and school programs

NASA Langley Research Center (Hampton, VA):
Aeronautics and atmospheric research; virtual tours

Virginia Air & Space Center (Hampton, VA):
Exhibits, IMAX films, and school outreach next to NASA Langley.

Programs & Resources

Aviation Mobile Classroom

Learn More

Aviation Contests

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Program Applications

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Virginia Aviation Ambassadors

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Virginia Aviation Board

Board Meeting Library

Upcoming Meetings