WATCHING PIGS FLY
By Chris Wadsworth
The expression “when pigs fly” is usually used to refer to something that is probably impossible. However, the expression might be outdated because pigs do fly – every week – right here in Ashburn.
“Every single time the pig goes flying, the kids all go nuts. It’s loud cheers,” said Riley Atkins, a manager at the iFly Indoor Skydiving venue near One Loudoun.
A stuffed pig is just one tool used at iFly, where thousands of local kids have received real-life lessons in fluid dynamics, thermodynamics, laws of motion and more. It’s part of iFly’s nationwide STEM program – the popular acronym for coursework focusing on science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
“We fly common objects, such as basketballs, in the wind tunnel, and students have a chance to see if their predictions about the object’s behavior are accurate,” said Michelle Brumley, the national STEM program manager for iFly.
iFly was founded in 1998 and has more than 50 locations around North America, Australia and Europe. iFly launched its STEM field trip program in 2015, and all 35 corporate-owned locations in the United States participate, as do many of the other franchised iFlys.
The STEM offerings are a lesser-known side gig to the brand’s main claim to fame of sending people soaring in a wind tunnel.
“We recognized that iFly was a perfect example of a real-world application of STEM,” Brumley said. “We decided to design a program that was both educational and showcased what a career in STEM could look like for students.”
Brumley also acknowledges that hosting academic field trips helps fill “historically under-utilized time at our tunnels in a meaningful and productive way for both our company and the customers.” In other words, it brings in revenue and helps fill weekday daytime hours when business might otherwise be slow.
The iFly team worked with educators to develop lessons that meet national science and math standards, appropriate for different grade levels.
For example, students in fourth through seventh grades study how the shape of a parachute’s canopy affects its descent rate in the wind tunnel. They use formulas to design and test parachutes with rectangular-, triangular- and square-shaped canopies.
Ninth- through 12th-graders calculate their own terminal velocity – the maximum speed attainable by an object as it falls through the air based on gravity and drag – then get in the tunnel and go “flying” to see how their actual speed compares.
The students who take part come from all different types of groups. Local school science classes, homeschooled kids, scouting groups and STEM clubs are among the usual suspects.
“By far, the biggest reaction comes when we fly water during our physics demonstration,” said Stacey Rudolph, a former science teacher and an iFly STEM instructor in Ashburn. “Students are amazed to see the water break into thousands of tiny droplets that float on the wind. We are able to discuss and demonstrate science concepts such as surface tension and cohesive forces in a truly unique way.”
All told, more than 600,000 students around the world have participated in iFly’s STEM program since its launch. That’s a lot of kids who have seen pigs fly with their very own eyes.