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🛩️ Lift: Glider Lab

Can you build a glider that really soars?

At the Glider Lab, makers of all ages will design and test their own flying creations — from simple paper gliders to more technical builds inspired by real aircraft design.

Explore how wing shape, air resistance (drag), balance, and weight affect flight, then head to the testing zone to see how far — and how smoothly — your glider travels.

For those ready to go deeper, work alongside fellow flight enthusiasts to explore the science behind real aircraft. Discover how lift is generated, why balance matters, and how real-world flight principles apply to your handmade design.

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🪂 Drag: Parachute Challenge

Can you design a parachute that drifts slowly?

Using simple, everyday materials — think coffee filters, plastic bags, string, tape, and paper — families will design and build their own parachutes.

Then it’s time to test! Drop your parachute and see how gently it lands. Does a bigger canopy fall slower? What happens if you change the shape? Add more string? Less?

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🌍 Weight: Gravity Drop

Can you engineer a safe landing?

At the Gravity Drop station, makers will design and build a protective cargo hold to cushion a falling object.

Using simple materials, your challenge is to create a structure that absorbs impact and protects what’s inside when dropped from above. Will padding help? Suspension? A crumple zone? There’s only one way to find out.

After each drop, we’ll measure and record how well your design performed — then you can adjust and improve your build.

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🚀 Thrust: Stomp Rockets

What does it take to launch a rocket?

At the Stomp Rocket station, makers will design and build their own rockets — creating the body, nose cone, and fins before heading to the launch zone.

Once built, it’s time to test. How does fin shape affect stability? Does a different nose design change the flight path? What happens when you adjust the launch angle?

With one powerful stomp, air pressure creates thrust and sends your rocket soaring.

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🎈 History of Flight & Floating Dirigible

How did humans first learn to fly?

Floating above the event space, our maker-built remote-control dirigible will glide through the air — a working example of early lighter-than-air flight brought to life.

Gather beneath it for a conversation about the history of non-powered flight, from early balloons and gliders to modern remote-controlled aircraft. Learn how lift was first achieved, how early aviators experimented with design, and how curiosity, persistence, and iteration shaped aviation history.