Students use the Aircraft Design Workshop software to choose pre-designed options for variables including aircraft wing geometry, cruise conditions, tail configurations, seating layout, propulsion system, and range. 3-D image of the aircraft is displayed. The design can be printed, and students can receive hints for improvement. Once created, comparisons of variables, including cost, fuel, and flight time, can be made. Students use a second station in the Aircraft Design area to use a real-world tool FliteMap to plan and simulate their flight.
Students can also use the program's data base to determine facilities available at local airfields.
Students are transformed into captains of the journey as they take flight in the Flight Simulator cockpit or the Virtual Reality Station. Participants enter the cockpit of a biplane and begin their take-off. Then, in the station activities, students follow a flight plan, observe landmarks, and interpret vital information on flight instruments to ensure the safe completion of the flight. The cross country flight curriculum directs students in flying a biplane around a small area in a cockpit flight simulator environment. Students sit in an aircraft cockpit and control the aircraft's flight path and speed with a joystick and a throttle.