Year 3 & Year 4 Explore the Future of Flight!
Our Year 3 and Year 4 students recently traded their regular classrooms for an airfield to go on a very special field trip. We went to meet the legendary Slovakian inventor, Professor Štefan Klein, and see his mind-blowing invention up close: The Klein Vision AirCar!
This incredible trip took place as a bridge between our learning units. It beautifully wrapped up our previous focus on Explorers, Innovators, and Inventors, while giving the students a real-world look at what is possible when you use your imagination to build the future.
Mr. Klein was extraordinarily generous with his time, dedicating his entire morning to giving our classes a personalized tour of his fascinating aviation world.
✈️ Journey through Time: The Classic Airplane Collection
Our tour began not with the future, but in the past. Mr. Klein first led us into a hanger housing his incredible classic airplane collection. He walked us through the history of each aircraft, explaining where they came from and how they found a home in his collection.
The students loved learning about how his passion started. He shared that when he was a boy, he and his brother would track down broken-down plane wrecks that had been completely abandoned. Together, they would lovingly restore them back to life. From those early days, they began experimenting in their garage, trying to make early inventions and simple cars fly from absolutely nothing. That lifelong determination is exactly what led to his success today.
🏎️ Meeting the AirCar and the Secret “Work-in-Progress” Space
Only after showing us his roots did Mr. Klein take us to see the main event: the famous AirCar prototype. While the vehicle stayed safely parked on the ground during our visit, seeing its sleek carbon fiber body up close was a wonderful experience. Mr. Klein walked us all around it, showing us where the wings fold away and explaining how its original BMW engine helped it complete its first historic flights between Nitra and Bratislava.
Next, he took us behind the scenes into a restricted “work-in-progress” hangar. This was a massive treat! The students got to see a small, highly skilled crew building the brand-new, next-generation prototype. He explained that this new version drops the car engine for a much stronger, specialized ADEPT aviation engine with nearly 300 horsepower. It was amazing to see a world-class invention actually being built right before our eyes.
💻 Designing the Future in the Office
To wrap up our morning, Mr. Klein invited us into his personal office. He treated the students to an exciting video showing the AirCar soaring mid-air and explained the secret physics behind the design.
He even introduced us to a university engineering student who works alongside him. The students watched closely as this young engineer used a specialized CAD (Computer-Aided Design) program on the computer to sketch out precise, high-tech details for the newest version of the AirCar.
Throughout the whole morning, Mr. Klein was incredibly friendly and patient, answering every single question our curious students threw at him.
🎁 A Special Gift for a Great Inventor
Before we said our goodbyes, our Year 3 and Year 4 students wanted to show their appreciation. They presented Mr. Klein with a collection of their own drawings showing their personal, creative versions of flying cars. Mr. Klein was clearly pleased with their ideas and smiled as he looked through their colorful designs.
Our students left the airfield buzzing with inspiration, proving to them that the big ideas they brainstorm in class can one day grow wings and change the world.
