Airline EasyJet has today announced the launch of ‘easyJet Flightsize’, a collection of online video lessons, to support parents across the nation still juggling home-working and home-schooling, as most schools in the UK remain closed during the lockdown.
EasyJet Pilots are fronting the new initiative and have created a programme of online lessons that include elements of basic geography, science and demystifying the magic of flying.
The collection of bitesize video-based lessons for primary school children aged 7 – 10 is designed to help parents keep kids engaged and entertained at home until at least 8th March when schools could be due to reopen.
Fronted by the airline’s pilots, Captain Iris de Kan and Captain Brij Kotecha, the topics include ‘How Planes Fly’, ‘Why Weather is Important’ and ‘How do Pilots Know Where They Are Going?’.
The video series uses a mixture of animation and pilot tuition to help young children understand the scientific principles of flight – how wings, thrust, drag and lift allow planes to fly.
Additional lessons cover cloud formations and the impact of wind on flying, as well as a look behind the flight deck door at the controls of an aeroplane, and informative takes on what makes different parts of a plane – such as the tail, engines and nose – important.
Each of the videos also contains related activities and challenges for children to try at home including; making paper aeroplanes, drawing and identifying cloud formations, practising pilot announcements and drawing detailed maps of their hometown – ensuring children will continue to be kept entertained and informed after the lessons have finished.
When school lessons are able to return to the classroom, easyJet will be launching a virtual pilot school visits programme to continue inspiring the next generation of pilots. This programme is a continuation of the airline’s successful Amy Johnson Initiative, which is focused on encouraging more girls to become airline pilot. The airline will be releasing information on how schools and teachers can request a virtual easyJet pilot visit in the coming weeks.
Creative agency Taylor Herring launched and executed the campaign, with production company St. Mark’s Studios handling video production.
Johan Lundgren, easyJet CEO, said:
“We know it isn’t easy for parents having to balance home-schooling with work during lockdown which is why they are always looking for ever-more exciting ways to keep their children busy and entertained in what we hope is the final stretch of homeschooling. I am delighted that our pilots and EasyJet as an airline can help out in a small way and I hope that children enjoy learning from our fantastic pilots all about how planes fly as well as a behind-the-scenes look at what the job of a pilot is like with these Flightsize lessons.”
EasyJet Flightsize Lesson Plan https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLpESdPwXdFriWA0Mzur1Mqdo3Vd9d5_Oy
| LESSON | PILOT TEACHER | SUBJECT MATTER |
| 1 . How Planes Fly | Captain Iris de Kan and Captain Brij Kotecha | The basics of how planes fly, including the four main principles of flight. |
| 2. Why is Weather Important? | Captain Iris de Kan | How weather affects flying and types of clouds. |
| 3. How Do You Turn a Plane On? | Captain Iris de Kan and Captain Brij Kotecha | What pilots have to do before a flight to get ready for take-off. |
| 4. How Do Pilots Know Where They Are Going? | Captain Iris de Kan | How pilots use communication and computers and to guide an aeroplane on its journey. |
| 5. Outside Parts of An Aeroplane | Captain Brij Kotecha | A look at the different parts of an aeroplane and how these parts help a plane to fly. |
| 6. The Inside of An Aeroplane | Captain Iris de Kan and Captain Brij Kotecha | A look at the pilot’s controls in the flight deck that help a plane take-off, fly and land. |
Captain Iris de Kan, an EasyJet pilot fronting the Flightsize lessons said:
“As parents, we know just how stressful it is trying to balance homeschooling and childcare with everything else right now. So, we are here to help with our educational easyJet Flightsize lessons, to keep kids entertained and engaged at home.
“And once schools are able to return to the classroom, we look forward to launching our virtual pilot school visits. It’s important that girls have visible role models to bust gendered stereotypes of jobs and even though we can’t visit in person right now, we’ll continue to keep up the important work of our Amy Johnson Initiative to encourage more girls to consider a pilot career.”
As part of easyJet’s wider commitment to support the public during the pandemic, easyJet cabin crew are supporting the NHS in vaccination centres as part of the vital nationwide effort to distribute the Coronavirus vaccine.
The Flightsize initiative is one of a number of campaigns easyJet and Taylor Herring have worked on together.
Previously easyJet and Taylor Herring also stepped in to provide a little light relief for the public last December, as they brought the joys of flying to people’s doorsteps. EasyJet’sTrolley Home Delivery’ service saw uniformed easyJet cabin crew arriving at doors across London wheeling an inflight cabin trolley, complete with complimentary drinks and snacks.
Previous Taylor Herring activations with easyJet have also included the rollout of ‘Flybraries’ – the airline’s child literacy programme to help kids get hooked on a book at the start of each summer holiday which saw 60,000 books for kids stocked on 300 easyJet aircraft on flights across Europe to encourage summer holiday reading amongst children.
