The flying classroom – a cost effective integrated approach to learning and teaching flight dynamics

In the United Kingdom, the Royal Aeronautical Society recommends the inclusion of practical flight exercises for accredited undergraduate aerospace engineering programmes to enhance learning and student experience. The majority of academic institutions teaching aerospace in the UK separate the theory and practice of flight dynamics with students attending a series of lectures supplemented by an intensive one day flight exercise. Performance and/or Handling Qualities flight tests are performed in a dedicated aircraft fitted with specialist equipment for the recording and presentation of flight data. This paper describes an innovative approach to better integrate theory and practice and the use of portable Commercial-off-The-Shelf (COTS) technologies to enable a range of standard, unmodified aircraft to be used. The integration of theory and practice has enriched learning and teaching, improved coursework grades and the student experience. The use COTS and unmodified aircraft has reduced costs and enabled increased student participation. Publisher Statement: This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in European Journal of Engineering Education on 28th December 2016, available online: http://www.tandfonline.com/10.1080/03043797.2016.1270903