Hero photograph
 
Photo by Emma Trott

Physics flight

Jamin Kim (12ED)and Shelley Li (12BU) —

On 20 October, 20 physics students went to Christchurch airport to take flight. 

After a pep talk from Ms Napier and being separated into groups, we were ready to go.

We were told to take a pen on the plane with the guarantee we would be able to watch it float in front of our very eyes. We were not disappointed. 

The pilot flew us out to Lyttelton and definitely tested our stomachs as he made 60 degree turns, lurching us from side to side. The effect of the turns were such that our arms became very heavy and difficult to lift against the force of 'gravity' (well, the force of the plane on us). 

Strings were attached to the wings of the plane to show us the airflow over the wings, and the changes brought to them through different manoeuvers. We got to observe the pilot using several different controls such as the rudder, elevators, and ailerons, and how they controlled the movement of the plane. For the final ‘trick’, we felt ourselves float out of our seats as we were literally falling under gravity (we can practically say we’re astronauts now that we’ve experienced ‘zero gravity’). At that moment we released our pens and watched them float. However, the moment ended just as quickly as it had begun and forgetting that gravity existed, some of our pens consequently fell and disappeared into an unknown cranny in the blink of an eye. 

The 20 minute flight allowed us to see physics in action, and was an unforgettable experience for us all.