Airplanes for Everyone: A General Education Course for Non‐Engineers

Abstract

AbstractThe Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, at the University of Washington, has introduced a new course to non‐engineering students. This course is distinguished by the fact that it is specifically designed for non‐engineering/science students. The course, called AA101: Air and Space Vehicles, fulfills a “natural world” graduation requirement for University undergraduates. This course has proven so popular that after the first offering it has filled the auditorium and all lab sections every quarter. It is now being offered three quarters a year.AA101 includes hands‐on learning, multi‐media presentations, and classroom demonstrations. Lab sections each week demonstrate principles learned in class and are usually centered about a fun activity. Examples include learning to fly with Microsoft Flight Simulator, building a rubber powered balsa airplane, and launching water rockets. In several of these activities, teamwork is stressed.A conscious decision in the creation of the course was to eliminate analysis in order to attract the broadest audience. Graduates of AA101 are thus familiar with the concepts but cannot apply analytical tools to aerospace engineering.