Take Wings and Fly
Who has not thought about flying away looking up at the birds soaring in the sky? Airytails is a team of passionate aviation and aeromodelling enthusiasts who are eager to instill the thrill of flying in young minds. The Bangalore-based company conducts workshops and offers career guidance in aviation and aerospace. So imagine the delight of Isha Vidhya students when Airytails landed (!) in their schools.
Airytails has been visiting Isha Vidhya schools in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh where they speak to children about the fascinating world of airplanes. And it’s not all talk.
At the Isha Vidhya Dharmapuri School, Airytails taught students to make paper planes including a model that holds the world record of having flown the longest distance. The students tested their paper planes, throwing them in the air, watching them soar with unabashed delight.
And of course, they wanted more. The Airytails team explained the structure, types and mechanics of airplanes using the paper models. A short video on the evolution of aircrafts followed by a 2-minute trailer of the movie "Paper Planes" fired the students’ imagination and made their faces shine with joy.
Even the heavy duty sessions on parts of a plane and concepts of thrust, lift, and aerodynamic principles were delivered creatively to engage young minds. The students were thrilled to learn about the early life of the Wright Brothers, how planes were invented, airplane engineering, aerodynamics principles, and the importance of weight in the functioning of a plane among other exciting topics.
Different Isha Vidhya Schools have had different Airytails experiences. Students of Apollo Isha Vidya Niketan in Chitoor participated in an Airytails writing contest; they let their imagination soar – on paper – about what their first flying experience would be like. Airytails promised that the best first flight story would be posted on their website.
On December 19, 2018, the First Flight contest winners were announced. Airytails CEO and Founder, J. S. Ashwini, took to Facebook to share his delight: “We couldn’t stop ourselves from choosing these 4 kids from Isha Vidhya, Chittoor, as winners for our First Flight contest. I’m sure everyone would agree after reading their amazing imagination for how first flight would be?” On February 5, 2019, Airytails gifted the school an amazing painting of the Wright Brothers flying their aircraft. The four ecstatic winners received certificates from Airytails.
Airytails is also creating Junior Trainers wherever they go - the higher-class students teach what they have learned to students in the lower classes. Students from Class 9 conducted sessions for Class 6 and 7 students, and of course, had great fun doing it!
It is rare for rural children to get the opportunity to learn about airplanes. And that’s what we love doing at Isha Vidhya – bringing diverse, exciting learning opportunities to rural students on par with their urban counterparts.
To learn more about this exciting Airytails chapter as it unfolds in the lives of our Isha Vidhya students, stay tuned to our blogs.
