By Nicholas Currier ‘20

Over Christmas break, Brother Hayes took some of his physics students to visit the Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio.

Brother Hayes has taken many students to see and learn from this museum. This makes the 21st annual trip to Dayton.

This was a terrific experience that not only showed us the history of each type of airplane used, but also how planes evolved and upgraded over time.

Senior Mark Kelly said, “The base held almost every single piece of engineering genius that seemed impossible for that era. These planes seem to be able to do almost the impossible. With this in-depth experience, I have a new appreciation and understanding of the work done to accomplish these overwhelming odds.”

Mark liked the engineering behind all the planes, but Brother Hayes made sure to teach us the physics behind them, too. We spent time discussing how the engines worked and how each had different aspects to them to do a specific purpose.

Senior Andrew Cwik said, “The planes and their history stood out to me. I never knew how much went behind the creating and testing for each plane. Brother Hayes invited me on this trip of a lifetime, and I loved everything about it!”

Senior Jeremy Zemgulys said, “Seeing aircraft from biplanes to stealth bombers was truly amazing. After the airforce base, we were able to learn about early bicycles and their developments.”

After we toured the Wright Patterson Air Force Base, everyone went to the Wright Cycle Co. where we learned about the history of bicycles and the printing press. Our tour guide told us about the companies that the Wright Brothers worked at and explained to us that they had a warehouse where they built their test planes.