Pavement Project: Bringing Flight Lessons Down to Earth

Third-generation pilot and CFI literally paints a solution for kinetic learners at Seattle-area airport.

Meg Godlewski

Tuesday, August 05, 2025 at 09:00 AM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Travis Tingle

An approximately 10-by-15 diagram of the traffic pattern at Auburn Municipal Airport in Washington state is large enough for kinetic learners to walk it as if they are the airplane. [Courtesy: Abbie Weir]

Key Takeaways:

Flight instructors often face the challenge of translating 2D aviation diagrams, like traffic patterns, into 3D, kinetic experiences crucial for effective learning, particularly given the complexity of the cockpit environment.
To address this, Abbie Weir, a flight instructor at Auburn Municipal Airport, spearheaded a project to paint a 10x15-foot, walkable traffic pattern diagram directly on the pavement, incorporating local landmarks.
This "airmarking" initiative, supported by The Ninety-Nines organization, provides an invaluable interactive tool, allowing kinetic learners and students with dyslexia to physically engage with and master complex airport procedures in a low-stress setting.

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One of the more challenging aspects of teaching flight lessons is taking a two-dimensional diagram from a textbook or slide from a computer screen and translating it into three dimensions for the kinetic learners who need physical interaction for best results.

Flight instructors frequently use desktop aircraft models to illustrate the traffic pattern at the airport—and this works. But there are times you need to go bigger.