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Kids in Tom Tengwall’s Project SEEK class, Flying Gizmos and Rockets, weren’t the only ones enthralled by some visitors who dropped in during class time last week.

The eight students and Tengwall were thrilled when Lindstrom dentist Mike Hursh agreed to land his ultralite plane at North Branch Middle School last Wednesday, so the kids could get up close to a “flying gizmo.”

They were pleasantly surprised when Hursh invited some of his flying buddies along and soon, nine different ultralite planes and gliders landed on the soccer fields on the north side of the school.

The arrival was announced to all the Project SEEK classes and soon, 100 or more students and teachers were out on the lawn, gathering excitedly as each plane touched down and its pilot shut off the propeller.

Hursh and his fellow pilots, all members of the Minnesota Ultralite Association and an informal club based out of the Osceola Airport, spent more than an hour at the school, talking to the students and answering questions about flying these small one- and two-person aircraft.

The students learned some of the planes can fly over 100 mph and are able to take off with as little as 30 or 40 feet of runway.

The aircraft can fly as high as 13,000 feet, but most ultralite pilots keep to around 2,000 to 3,000 feet. There is no need to contact the FAA or airports when they are flying, but most pilots use their radios to keep in touch with towers in the vicinity, Hursh said. There is currently no need for a license to operate one of these aircraft as well, Hursh said, although the FAA is looking to change that for certain types of ultralites.

When the pilots get together, they operate a lot like motorcycle clubs, Hursh said – they meet, discuss where they want to fly, land, go to lunch or coffee, then fly somewhere else.

Tengwall’s class was excited to spend time learning about the ultralites, even if they had to share with a larger audience. “They expected to be the only ones out here for the landings,” Tengwall explained to the pilots. “They were a little disappointed that the whole school showed up.”

Before Wednesday, the 4th-6th graders in the class had learned about several types of flying aircraft and rockets. They built rockets, balsa wood planes, kazoom kites and hot air balloons.

They went on a field trip to the St. Paul Airport and the Army National Guard, where they saw Black Hawk helicopters they were able to sit inside. They also toured the flight control tower, saw a radar system and watched air traffic controllers at work as they guided planes. The field trip also included a visit to Wings Flight School where they sat in the cockpit of a Skyhawk plane.

All of the students said they were definitely interested in flying one of the ultralites or gliders some day, but each one pointed out a different one as their favorite. They did agree on the best part of the visit, though – seeing the planes land and take off was really cool.

The Flying Gizmos and Rockets class was part of Project SEEK, a program offered by the St. Croix River Education District to its member school districts.

It is open to kids in grades 2 through 7 who have been recommended by their classroom teachers and pay tuition to take part in the 13-day program. Students in this year’s classes came from Chisago Lakes, East Central, North Branch, Hinckley-Finlayson, Pine City and Rush City school districts. Teachers also come from the different SCRED districts to teach Project SEEK classes.

Some of the classes offered this year were: Experience Exotic India, Exploring Sign Language, Writer’s Guild, History in the Movies, Art Adventures, The Candy Factor, Project: Survivor, Mysteries, Puzzles and Crime Scenes, Lego/Logo, Video Creations, Animation Imagination and Shakespeare’s Kids.

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