The Techno Zone at the Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT) has won critical acclaim for bringing STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) subjects to life through a range of interactive and engaging activities designed to inspire young people.
THIS year the air show’s main theme was the aviators of tomorrow, with the zone, which consists of a number of sections from some of the leading aerospace brands, playing an even more integral part.
Amongst those featured was that of Lockheed Martin, the US-based global aerospace company behind the F-35 Lightning II stealth jet, which made its debut at this year’s show, and will largely shape the RAF for the next 50 years.
Danielle Devoto, communications specialist for the company, speaking in the Techno Zone, said: “For part of our STEM outreach we’re having kids build little F-35 construction toys. That way, it gets them thinking about theory and about the plane. We have information about the F-35 on our video screen as well as more technical facts demonstrated in a variety of ways. We’re doing a scavenger hunt too, for example.
Danielle, who helps to engage children and aerospace at various trade shows in the UK and her US homeland, said as well as the F-35 section, there was an ORION model, “which is all to do with space exploration and the technology we’re using,” as well as a small recreation of the surface of Mars.
“That way, you take a journey from today, tomorrow and beyond,” she added.
Just a short walk away were two simulators, operated by the 49th Bournemouth Air Scouts.
Jonathan Small, a leader of the Air Scouts branch explained how a grant from the RAF Charitable Trust had paid for the simulators to be built to “teach the scouts about air work” including how the different parts of the aircraft respond to the commands they’re given.
He said Air Scouts are aged between six and 14, and the organisation acts as a “feeder into Explorers or Air Cadets” who are generally around 13 or 14 and up.
Meanwhile, Kyle Hillman, a quality controller for GE Aviation, was demonstrating the different materials which go into the makeup of aircrafts. “We’ve got some carbon fibre material, it’s all flimsy and easy to shape,” he said, explaining how an aircraft wing is made, which can also include dry carbon and a honeycomb core filler, amongst other materials.
“You layer it and layer it and then it gets put into an oven. After it’s cooled, it’s made it stronger. That goes on top of the aircraft wings.”
Next was the Moog Inc stand, which included a model plane made out of everyday discarded materials, including bake bean tins, a flower pot and pallet wood, while the propeller was calved from a cement mixing board.
The scaled-down version of a Sopwith Camel has a 14-foot wingspan and was made by the Cheltenham & Gloucester Men in Sheds group.
Sheena Dougan, of Moog Inc, a designer and manufacturer of motion and fluid controls and control systems for applications including in aerospace and medical devices, said: “We’re just trying to introduce people into engineering and show them how much fun engineering can be.”
She described how the company designs valves for a variety of industries, including dentistry, and had brought a machine with them which used simple engineering to “teach dentists how to drill teeth without killing the patients” for guests to try.
Referring to the model plane, she said: “Men in Sheds is a project for men when they retire and don’t want to just potter about in the garden.
“This has been a six-month project to build the replica. It’s a half-scale replica and is all made from pallets and things that they found in the tip; bits of Venetian blinds, the back panels off the sideboards. Radiator grills, bake bean tins for the guns on top.
“We encouraged them to bring it along on our stand and a lot of people have shown so much interest in it and maybe that’s the start of engineering.
“One young lad was stood here looking at it and I was showing him bits and pieces and he was fascinated, and his teacher said to me: ‘We struggle to get him enthused about anything’ and he was stood there completely enraptured.”
Other exhibitors in this year’s Techno Zone included: NATS, Airbus, QinetiQ, Rolls-Royce, GCHQ, IET, Royal Aeronautical Society, Martin Baker, British Airways, Raytheon, MANTRA, Air Cadet Organisation, RAF Cosford Mechanical hand skills, UKSEDS, Women's Engineering Society, AirSim, BAE, Bloodhound, RAF Microlight Flying Association, Electroflight, Dr Beth Healey, RAF Engineers and Dyson.
Visit airtattoo.com/airshow/visiting/attractions/techno-zone for more.
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