iFLY Chicago’s STEM Program: Elevating Education to New Heights

Science comes alive at iFLY Chicago’s STEM program.

The Lincoln Park, Naperville, or Rosemont complexes are the perfect places for participants to receive a top-rate educational experience showcasing the principles of science while also getting the opportunity to fly.

“The vertical wind tunnel is such a visual representation of the forces of physics,” says Ellie Davis, area sales manager for all Chicago iFLY locations. As a result, students get to see science and technology in action in a way that’s fresh and exciting for all.

iFLY Chicago has established partnerships with local educational institutions, such as Chicago public schools, to offer affordable access to the science, technology, engineering, and math curriculum that makes learning fun and memorable for everyone. “Colleges, including Perdue and the University of Chicago, have come in. Sometimes they bring college students, but they also do programs with high school kids.”

However, it doesn’t necessarily have to be a school trip, and iFLY can accommodate a group of any size. Any gathering of at least 15 people can get together and do the STEM program. The average group size is 30 to 40 people, but iFLY has hosted parties as big as 130. 

Participants learn why the surface area is essential and why mass is vital to how an object flies. “Students get to become the experiment themselves,” Davis explains. “They see how the small changes they make to their body change how they fly.”

The process for booking an outing to the iFLY Chicago STEM program is simple. After a school or organization reaches out about the program, a knowledgeable employee explains everything. Once a specific date and time have been selected, the school or organization will receive customized materials to incorporate into their classroom. Davis says, “Those are free field trip activities for students before the field trip. It introduces the concept to the kids. And we provide another activity for participants to do after the trip.” 

The program is most popular with middle schools. “Sixth to eighth graders are the most common age group iFLY hosts. But we do have a curriculum for kindergarten to 12th grade. So there is a pretty big mix of grade levels.”

Proactive Outreach to Schools and Satisfied Participants

Approximately 300,000 schools and 10,000 organizations — such as the Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, and the YMCA — across the United States have participated in the interactive program since its inception.

iFLY Chicago can run two STEM programs a day. “Sometimes, we do a morning field trip and an afternoon program,” says Davis. “Most schools prefer a midmorning trip, usually from 10 o’clock to 1 p.m., but we do have some groups like the Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts that like to do something after school.”

Davis says it “does a lot of outreach to schools. And many teachers have a great time and tell other teachers.” It’s an A-plus field trip, according to many Chicago-area teachers. “The physics portion (different objects in the wind tunnel) was informative and entertaining. The manager and staff were friendly and professional. We really enjoyed the trip,” stated a middle school STEM teacher. 

“Overall, everyone enjoyed the trip. The students learned something and had a blast watching their peers and teachers fly, " another middle school teacher shared. “The staff was very accommodating. I would definitely recommend it as a field trip. [It was] a trip the students won’t soon forget.”

And a high school science teacher added, “It was excellent, and our STEM instructor was great with each level of students we had over two days.”

What To Expect From the iFLY Chicago Stem Program

A lot of learning and fun is packed into the iFLY Chicago STEM program, which runs three to four hours, depending on the number of participants. Upon arrival, students check in at the front desk and get a wristband. Next, they head to the STEM classroom to learn how the vertical wind tunnel works. 

After that, the participants do a lab activity based on their grade level. “High school students get to calculate the velocity of their body,” says Davis. “And then they do a physics ball demonstration. That is when the instructors put objects in the wind tunnel, and students get to see how the objects fly. They go crazy during the demonstration. It’s a very positive experience.”

After that, students get the chance to fly. World-class instructors train the iFLY Chicago STEM program participants, get them geared up in a flight suit and helmet, and then everybody gets an opportunity to soar. “Everyone is having a blast the whole time,” says Davis. “If their teacher flies, the students freak out — they love it so much.”

The thrilling science program is constantly evolving. “We don’t want it to be stagnant, so we take the feedback from teachers and tweak things to continue to make it better,” says Davis. “When teachers come back, it’s cool to have some updated curriculum for them.”

Participants also learn about STEM careers. “Students might be interested in going into STEM but don’t know exactly what that entails, so iFLY points out some careers they can go into. But, again, it’s important to emphasize the real-world application of STEM to try to make it relevant to their real life.”

Davis adds that iFly is determined to keeping the STEM Program accessible and affordable for all. 

“The STEM program is awesome because as inflation has hit basically every business, and everyone has raised prices, we have kept the STEM pricing the same since it started to keep it affordable and accessible to everyone.”

Title 1 eligible schools — or schools where 40% of students come from low-income families — can experience the iFLY Chicago STEM program at a discounted rate. “Many teachers say the only way these kids would ever get that experience is through our discounted field trip pricing,” says Davis. “They love it, and they’re really appreciative of the fairly affordable price point that iFLY offers.”

Blending science and technology with the thrill of flight is what elevates it above all other field trip options.