Hands-On Learning Takes Flight: Physics Comes Alive with Hovercrafts
Nov 07, 2025 | by Ildi Carlisle-Cummins
On a recent afternoon in Mr. Clegg's physics class, PCS Senior Jaeda Ortiz climbed aboard a homemade hovercraft and sailed, laughing, across the classroom.
Mr. Clegg described the hands-on lesson in this way: "Students used a hovercraft during physics class to explore forces, accelerations, and the concept of inertia. A leaf blower inflates a skirt on the bottom that is made of a shower curtain in a donut shape with holes in the center for the air to escape. As the air passes between the skirt and the floor, it creates a cushion of air with very low friction. When a student sits on the hovercraft, they need a push from a classmate to start moving, and then as the law of inertia states, they continue moving at a constant velocity until acted on by an unbalanced force."
Small class sizes and creative, engaged teachers like Mr.
Clegg make PCS an incredible place for students to learn.