One of the few regrets (if you can call it that) from my trip to NECC in Washington, DC is that I did not have time to go to the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum. Fortunately, the Smithsonian does offer some fantastic online resources about the history of aviation. One such online resource is America by Air which I learned about from Anne Marie’s Talking SMARTBoards & Much More.

America by Air is a series of thirteen online activities that take students through the history of commercial aviation in the United States. Some of the activities that students can explore include examining air routes, pricing tickets, and dressing like a pilot or flight attendant.

Applications for Education
America by Air’s thirteen online activities are good resources for elementary and middle school students to learn about the history of commercial aviation in the United States. As students return from summer vacations some may have stories about flying. Have students use try the activities in America by Air then compare their trip in 2009 to how their trip may have unfolded during an earlier era in commercial aviation.