Kayleigh Paskiewicz, Joel Kozek

Editor
Last weekend, 8 different STEM teams from across the state have traveled to the Chester Airport. The Sikorsky STEM Kick Off kicked off with a demonstration including a Black Hawk and a challenge to be done by all the students. Although the members tried their hardest, they fell behind cross town rivals Jonathan Law. Foran tied for 5th in the overall results. The competition itself was rather challenging. Team members had to move a tennis ball suspended on metal ring and 8 ropes across a rope and place it on a pedestal on the opposite side. The teams had to ensure that the rope was taught at all times, and that once the ball was placed on the pedestal and the string dropped, the ball and ring stayed on the pedestal.

STEM members also had a chance to learn about a man made plane that was built from scratch. They were able to see the plane as well as the constructionist. The Vans Aircraft RV4 is a homebuilt airplane that can be assembled using a building kit. The plane itself has a tandem type seating for a pilot and passenger.

The team will be completing another task in the future to construct a hypothetical harness that will be suspended from a “Jolly Green Giant,” a rescue helicopter produced by Sikorsky from 1967 to 1970. This harness will be used suspended from a model helicopter and used in a search and rescue mission from a crashed corsair in the middle of the ocean from an objective last year.

“It was a great time for students to learn about the history of the corsair plane used during World War II, start to develop ideas as engineers, and to come together in order to complete a mission.” said CJ Conner, senior.

Although the whole project is hypothetical, it will get the team to think and work like engineers. Best of luck to the STEM team with their future missions!