The gliding tube is a simple contraption that can be made out of common materials, ideal for outreach programs in schools. Schools can supply the body’s construction paper and the park can bring the paper needed for the wings. There could be interesting facts about the Wright Brothers, flight, a common plane design, or fun programs that are at the park if they want to visit on the park’s provided materials. It’s all paper so it can be biodegradable and easily replicated. It is easy to make, has an unusual shape, and can be easily made into a permanent program. Park rangers can reach for this for its easy to learn nature, meaning that it doesn’t need to be retired once the main ranger retires or leaves. It also doesn’t require a ranger to operate past teaching someone how to fold the paper into the correct shape. It can move past the limitations of the park grounds into a flying machine that can go anywhere.
However, this is a short lived design. Kids might not care to read the information on the wings and it’s an easily thrown away or broken toy. It might miss the big picture of inspiring them to get involved in aviation, or getting them to connect with the park further than this. It doesn’t feel any higher than an arts and crafts project.
