On Friday, January 24, our Grade 6 students took part in a Skype chat with Captain Phillip Tate, a fighter pilot and engineer in the Royal Canadian Air Force stationed at CFB Greenwood in Nova Scotia. Captain Tate answered a number of questions the students had regarding their Wing Design Challenge, a grade-wide project in that the students have been challenged to design an airfoil (wing) that can generate the most amount of lift in a wind tunnel. The Grade 6 students have been learning about the physics of flight and the forces acting on a wing in their most recent Science unit. They are developing designs based on research into wing design as well as their own knowledge of the forces acting on a wing. They would like to thank Captain Tate for sharing his time and knowledge with them!
Captain Phillip Tate studied mechanical engineering at The Royal Military College in Kingston and was a military flight instructor for three years. He is currently training to be a maritime patrol pilot and has 1000 hours of flying time including 150 hours in fast jets.
