STEMPILOT.COM Lands Edustation Flight Simulators in Conn.'s First STEM-Focused Middle School Academy

NEWINGTON, Conn. - Nov. 10, 2015 - PRLog -- Seven STEMPILOT.com Edustation flight simulators were featured during the exciting October 22nd grand opening of the $2.1 million Academy of Aerospace and Engineering (http://jw.npsct.org/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=271693&type=d) at John Wallace Middle School (http://jw.npsct.org/) in Newington. “Learning to fly” through the  cockpit flight simulator operations, 25 lottery-chosen seventh and eighth grade students are learning STEM – Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics plus history, topography, geography, meteorology and creative writing. In 2016, 25 more students will be chosen to attend this progressive Academy.

Edustation STEM creator, Jay LeBoff, owner of STEMPILOT.com in Waterbury, Connecticut, formerly known as HotSeatChassis, commented, “These 25 students applied through a lottery to learn through this advanced STEM program. Today they are enjoying highly-innovative learning experiences that will allow them to rapidly enter future careers where STEM skills offer keys to entry into jobs of the future. These students are learning the potentials of various aerospace professions from pilot to astronaut to aerospace engineer. Through rigorous curriculums we created, they are learning both professional and life skills relevant in today’s, and tomorrow’s, worlds.”

LeBoff elaborated, “The portable STEMPILOT.com’s Edustations are cockpit flight simulators designed to teach elementary, middle and high school students STEM through aeronautics-focused classes. Teachers are provided with curriculums, missions and worksheets to teach students from 4th through 12^th grades. These easy-to-use Edustations are accompanied by curriculums that can be segmented into geometry, trigonometry, physics, Earth science and more while helping students learn to solve complex problems using multiple math and science disciplines.”

STEMPILOT.com’s flight simulator Edustations consist of 32” High Definition screens, Windows PC workstations, yoke, throttle and rudder, plus curriculums and workbooks. The Edustations emphasize project-based learning that help develop individual students’ problem-solving, collaborative and critical thinking abilities as they work in teams. Learning through pilot-focused flight simulators, students learn about potential careers in aerospace by exploring such topics as aeronautics, the aerospace environment, aerospace physiology, air navigation, and the physics and operations of aircraft.

“John Wallace Middle School’s highly-advanced Academy of Aerospace and Engineering,” commented LeBoff, “has been designed specifically to capture the learning abilities of students who have strong passions for science, math, engineering and innovation. These students, along with thousands of students across the United States, possess strong interest in flight and space exploration, and these in-classroom Edustations provide first-hand experience in navigating small airplanes, jets and helicopters.”

Bryan Holmes, science and engineering teacher at the John Wallace Middle School was instrumental in creating the Academy and commented, “This Academy was created to inspire students to envision themselves in challenging STEM careers. The project-based individual and team-based learning offered by STEMPILOT.com’s Edustations has catapulted both our students and teachers into the very exciting and fun world of learning to fly small planes, jets and helicopters while learning about the science, math, engineering and so much more.

Learning through flying STEMPILOT’s cockpit flight simulators, provides students with opportunities to become proficient, not only at the skills involved in flying, but also in the life skills of problem solving, working in teams, communicating, and continuously learning.”

During the Grand Opening ceremonies Dr. William Collins, superintendent of Newington’s schools stated, “This is the first middle school in the entire state of Connecticut to offer a dedicated academy to the study of STEM, aerospace and engineering.”

With STEMPILOT.com Edustations, students work in teams of five to carefully plan and then execute flight plans that range from basic level to complex flights. The first group of designated ‘captains’ on each team train co-pilots who then can train the other team members. Students can activate flights to validate actual vs. planned results in time and distance, calculated routes, fuel consumption, speed over ground, speed through the air, proper weight and balance of the aircraft.

“Teachers who use the Edustations to teach their students STEM do not need to have any aviation experience,” clarified LeBoff. “The Edustation curriculum has been written with certified pilots and the teaching tools are specially designed for the non-aviation-trained teachers. The simulator missions include verbal and written tutorial coaching the student to apply the principles of aviation. There is a profound use of geometry, trigonometry, physics, meteorology, geography, topography and astronomy with all the flight planning tutorials.”

STEMPILOT.com’s Edustations are being established in thousands of middle and high school classrooms across the nation. To learn more, visit www.edustationED.com or call 203-527-5747.