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 are increasingly using creative, large-scale, and interactive methods to help kinetic learners grasp complex 3D flight concepts like traffic patterns, moving beyond traditional 2D diagrams.
A specific example at Auburn Municipal Airport involved flight instructor Abbie Weir initiating the painting of a 10x15 foot walkable traffic pattern diagram directly onto the pavement.
This project was a collaborative effort with The Ninety-Nines, an organization with a history of "airmarking" projects, providing a valuable physical learning tool for students.
The interactive diagram, which includes local landmarks, aids students, especially those with dyslexia, in understanding the pattern and navigating the busy non-towered airport environment more effectively.

See a mistake? Contact us.

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.