George Steed

Steed's "Airplane Fabrication" project was created to address a national trend of decreasing emphasis on vocational-technical training in secondary schools. Students gather after school to listen to guest speakers from the aerospace industry and build actual, flying aircraft. Using well-established aircraft designs and aircraft-grade materials, students form teams, read plans, choose materials, create templates, measure and cut material, and fabricate parts. They then assemble the parts into a real airplane. This project teaches students skills such as tool use, manufacturing processes, and cooperative learning that they can use throughout their lives.