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Radio Wright brothers

Be like Wilbur and Orville, as you build from a blueprint, while your team describes what it looks like.

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You’ll need

  • Walkie talkies or phones (optional)
  • Photos of planes, runways or plane parts.
  • Building materials (such as craft materials, lego, recycling, clay)

Before you begin

  • Use the safety checklist to help you plan and risk assess your activity. Take a look at our guidance to help you carry out your risk assessment, including examples.   
  • Make sure all young people and adults involved in the activity know how to take part safely. 
  • Make sure you’ll have enough adult helpers. You may need some parents and carers to help

This activity can meet different requirements with slight adaptations:

  • Stage 2, Requirement 1: Use recycled materials, and plane images.  
  • Stage 4, Requirement 4a: Use a diagram or picture of an airfield.
  • Stage 5, Requirement 2: Use a diagram or picture of a runway with its markings. 
  • Stage 5, Requirement 3: Use pictures of parts of an aircraft for people to construct, they could even try to guess what they have built.
  • Stage 5, Requirement 4h: You can build any model, as long as the team works collaboratively and each member takes on a distinct role.

  

Planning and setting up this activity 

  • Arrange for two separate rooms or areas, both with the ability to use walkie-talkies effectively or phone signals. 
  • Ensure enough adult supervisors to oversee each group’s communication. For younger participants, adults should monitor throughout.
  • If you are not using phone or walkie talkings, groups can send their pilots to a meeting point halfway to communicate in-person. 
  • Prepare a collection of images such as different types of planes, a runway for Stage 4, or parts of an aircraft for Stage 5F, depending on the stage and requirement being completed.
  • Decide what type of model the teams will create: this could range from small playdough airplanes to more detailed scale model sets, or even larger, collaborative projects like building a fleet or an airport scene. 

Team A (Describers):

  • Pilot: Leads the plane description, ensuring clear and precise details about the aircraft.

  • Co-Pilot: Supports the Pilot by helping clarify or add extra details during the description.

  • Air Traffic Control (ATC): Monitors the communication for timing, clarity, and proper radio etiquette (like saying “Over”). Makes sure calls don’t run over time and helps avoid miscommunication.

Team B (Builders):

  • Communication Officer: Main point of contact with Team A. Asks clarifying questions and relays messages between the team and the describers. Helps keep communication smooth and clear.

  • Ground Crew: The hands-on builders — they shape and assemble the model plane from playdough or clay, following the descriptions as closely as possible.

  • Air Marshal: Oversees quality control and “security” of the model — checks that the plane parts are correct and consistent with descriptions. Ensures the build is accurate and raises flags if something seems off, like an “inspector” or “safety officer” role.

 

  

Run the activity

  1. The activity leader should divide everyone into groups of about six people.
  2. Split each group again into two teams:
    • Team A: Air Traffic Control
      • 2 people
      • Their job is to describe the picture clearly so the Flight Crew can recreate it.
    • Team B: Flight Crew
      • Pilot and co-pilot are the only team members allowed to communicate with Air Traffic Control. 
      • 2 Engineers, they lead on building the model plane, following the Pilot's instructions.
  3. Assign an adult supervisor to each team or room to monitor communication and assist if needed.
  4. For room setup, the Flight Crew stays in the room with the building materials, while Air Traffic Control moves to a separate room or space.
  5. Once teams are settled, test communication with a message from the Flight Crew to Air Traffic Control: “Are we cleared for take-off? Over.”
  6. If radios aren’t used, the Pilot can approach Air Traffic Control directly. The image should not be visible to the Flight Crew.

Ready. Set. Go!

  1. Air Traffic Control describes the plane’s features clearly and step-by-step, using aviation-related language where possible.
  2. The Pilot or Co-Pilot listens carefully and directs the Engineers to build the model based on the descriptions.
  3. When the model is finished, or when the allotted time is up, teams reunite to compare their models with the original images.
  4. Each group should discuss what went well and what needs improvement before switching roles and trying again. 

Reflection

We’re nearly all familiar with planes and most of us know exactly what they look like in our heads. We know they have wings, that they fly and that they’re controlled by pilots. So why might it be difficult to describe a particular plane to someone else who can’t see it? Communication without body language and recognising a plane without actually seeing it make this activity a lot tougher than it might first seem.

If you had time to swap roles, did this help? The group that received instructions before probably had a better idea of what needed to be said to get across what the plane looked like. Finding common ground is often the best way to communicate like this. Maybe think about what era the plane might be from, or what job it does. Your ‘details’ person could look into that! It might be something you learned about together at school or from watching a film. Getting on the same page like this is an essential element of teamwork and useful for lots of different team activities.

Safety

All activities must be safely managed. You must complete a thorough risk assessment and take appropriate steps to reduce risk. Use the safety checklist to help you plan and risk assess your activity. Always get approval for the activity, and have suitable supervision and an InTouch process.

You must run your activities in line with the Safeguarding Code of Conduct for Adults (Yellow Card) and report any concerns to the UK HQ Safeguarding Team.

Phones and cameras

Make sure parents and carers are aware and have given consent for photography.

Sharp objects

Teach young people how to use sharp objects safely. Supervise them appropriately throughout. Store all sharp objects securely, out of the reach of young people.

Glue and solvents

Always supervise young people appropriately when they’re using glue and solvent products. Make sure there’s plenty of ventilation. Be aware of any medical conditions that could be affected by glue or solvent use and make adjustments as needed.

Scissors

Supervise young people appropriately when they’re using scissors. Store all sharp objects securely, out of the reach of young people.

Rubbish and recycling

All items should be clean and suitable for this activity.

  • A time limit (enforced or otherwise) puts the groups under more pressure and makes this activity tougher. That said, it will make the discussion afterwards about effective communication more interesting. Ambitious groups could have their builders work in radio silence (without asking questions) to explore how difficult this is.
  • Make sure that everyone has everything they need to complete the tasks in this activity. Groups need to bear this in mind when/if assigning each other roles.
  • You could use model planes rather than pictures, which are tactile and might be easier for the group to describe.

All Scout activities should be inclusive and accessible.

Air Activities Stage 5
History Comes Alive Blanket Badge
Air Activities Stage 4
Air Activities Stage 3
Air Activities Stage 2

There’s more model-building in the Air Activities Staged Activity Badge that might be fun for those who enjoyed making planes. Another extension might be to find some more detailed model kits online for people to try. Why not try finding instructions and then building the planes from recycled materials? You’ll need to agree which materials are suitable and which might not be so helpful.

Young people were responsible for their own role in the activity and had to make sure they communicated effectively to help their group. They also got to build the team’s favourite planes, in the way they imagined them.