Design and technology at IWM Duxford

DH-9 © IWM (Q 70119)

Find the DH-9, a biplane from the First World War, which is between the Comet and the Hastings.

The DH-9 has a forward facing machine gun. Find the other machine gun. Which way does it face?

Why could forward facing machine guns be dangerous for First World War pilots?

What is the aeroplane constructed from?

Why are aeroplanes no longer made like this?

Avro Vulcan © IWM (FKD 1198)

Find the Vulcan, the big delta wing aircraft in the middle of the hangar. Look at the Vulcan. How did the pilot get into the aeroplane? Tick which answer you think is correct.

By climbing on the wing □

Through a door underneath □

By leaning a ladder against the side □

Westland Lysander © IWM (CM 5)

Find the Lysander hanging from the ceiling near the Lancaster. Look at the Lysander. How did the pilot get into the aeroplane? Tick which answer you think is correct.

By climbing on the wing □

Through a door underneath □

By leaning a ladder against the side □

a)  Short Sunderland / b)  Supermarine Spitfire

Different aeroplanes do different jobs, this is shown in the way they are designed. Find each of these aeroplanes in AirSpace. The Sunderland is behind the Hastings and the Spitfire is near to the tail of the Lancaster. Write the letter next to the aeroplane that the statements below are referring to.

Has a fuselage shaped like a boat for landing on water
Has wings that are low on the fuselage so the pilot has a better view of the sky
A fighter so it is small and fast
Painted white to blend in with the clouds

Certain materials are chosen to make aeroplanes because they have special properties that are useful for the design. Draw a line to match the materials up with their properties. You can use the properties more than once.

Metal / Smooth
Cloth / Transparent
Wood / Flexible
Rubber / Strong
Perspex / Lightweight
De Havilland Comet © IWM (TR 6113)

Find the Comet in the corner of the hangar. Airliners have been modified or changed to suit different uses. How would you adapt the Comet to solve the problems below?

The passengers want more room inside the Comet.

Solution:

The Comet is going to be used for carrying cars.
Solution:

The Comet is going to be used to carry live fish.
Solution:

Westland Wessex © IWM (DUX-2001-9-10)

Find the Westland Whirlwind and Wessex helicopters, near the Comet. Look at the helicopters and the information boards.

What do the RAF and Fleet Air Arm use helicopters for?

Why are aeroplanes not used in these situations?

Using everything you have learnt, design your own aeroplane. Label it to explain why you have designed it that way. What job is it going to do? Is it going to be big or small? What will it be made of? How will the pilot get into the aeroplane? Will it carry passengers? What will you call it?

Teacher’s notes

Using the trail

We have tried to highlight the area of the museum that is relevant to your talk and provide activities for the pupils to do there – there is no expectation that any one class or group will complete the whole trail!

This trail focuses on the AirSpace hangar, which is a 5 minute walk from the Visitor Centre.

Answers

The DH-9 has both a forward and backward facing machine gun. Forward facing machine guns could be dangerous as they could shoot your propeller off. The DH-9 is constructed from wood, plywood and fabric. Aeroplanes are no longer made of fabric because metal is stronger and so protects the aircraft structure and pilot better.

The pilot gets into the Vulcan through a door underneath. The Lysander has a ladder attached to the side so the pilot can climb in.

Has a fuselage shaped like a boat for landing on water / A
Has wings that are low on the fuselage so the pilot has a better view of the sky / B
A fighter so it is small and fast / B
Painted white to blend in with the clouds / A

For the passengers to have more room, the airline needs to remove some of the seats or make the fuselage bigger. If the Comet is to be used to carry cars, you need to remove all the inner structure of the fuselage to make space and make a ramp to drive the cars onto the aircraft. You would also need to reinforce the fuselage and boost the engine power because of the extra weight and have a larger door in the side or at the tail . To carry live fish, the designers would need to replace the seats with space for boxes of fish and temperature and pressure control the inside to make sure they stay alive.

In the photographs, the helicopters are being used to transport troops, to move equipment from ships and to hunt enemy submarines. The Whirlwind is also painted in search and rescue colours. Aeroplanes aren’t used because they cannot land in such small spaces or hover.

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Key stage 3: Design and Technology at IWM Duxford