Safety goggles on, the motor hums and then the blue tarps on the Jason Gymnasium floor flap as the four wings of handmade drones force air down for liftoff Thursday morning in Jefferson City.
Children as young as 6 joined with older adults for the intergenerational pilot program, created by the Lincoln University Cooperative Extension and the Paula J. Carter Center.
"This is an opportunity for intergenerational groups to be involved in robotics in a fun way," said Research Engineer Greg Pierson.
The extension offers other intergenerational programs, mostly revolving around food and gardening. And Pierson also is involved with the extension's youth robotics program. So this was a simple combination.
Building the Lynxmotion V Tail 400 kits Monday and Tuesday was not as simple.
"It was hard putting the "bitty-bitty' screws in," said participant Maxine Gregory.
The one dozen or so children and adults learned a lot from intern Adam Eaton, 17. With a father who's an electrical engineer and a personal interest in robotics, Eaton has been putting together and taking apart gadgets since he was little.
"I knew how everything worked," Eaton said.
As in other youth camps, he explained some basic engineering theory to the group. But he found this intergenerational program to be easier, talking with adults who could reason, follow along and provide feedback.
Once Team Serenity and Team Flowers each had their drones assembled, it was time to take up the transmitter and see how they worked.
Grandfather Hugh Flowers was the first to fly Thursday morning as his grandson Christian, family members and other participants watched from the second floor windows into the gym for safety.
"I don't remember ever having that much fun," Flowers said. "I can't believe we built that."
Pierson and Eaton gave last-minute instructions for operating the machine, like "little movements go a long way."
"Flying something like this is not natural; it takes a lot of practice before it becomes second nature," Pierson said.
Most of the novice operators struggled with maneuvering the device in the air, as moving horizontally in any direction diverted the air power providing lift.
Team Serenity on Wednesday met with a few hard landings, but team members remained enthusiastic about the overall experience.
"This was a wonderful building and bonding experience," said Deborah Jenkins, mother of Serenity Coyl, 6.
Those watching also could see the drone's camera on a video screen, but most preferred to look through the window.
"If it was on the moon, that'd be cool," said Schasta Flowers, mother of Christian and daughter-in-law of Hugh Flowers. "It's just the gym; we want to watch it fly."
When it was Christian's turn, Schasta took lots of still photos and a friend took video from the viewing area. On the floor, his grandfather shared tips he had learned from his experience.
"I was nervous; I thought I was going to crash it," Christian Flowers said.
The week-long morning activity presented challenges but in a fun, casual atmosphere. Among the technical details they learned, was the difference between an unmanned aerial system, popularly referred to as a "drone," a plane and a helicopter.
A drone has four independent motors controlling lift and movement. An airplane relies on two fixed wings for lift and a motor for movement. And a helicopter has only two fans for operation.
Fay Morrow, Serenity Coyl's godmother, enjoyed getting to work side by side with young people.
"Watching her fly it after working together to building it as a team was a wonderful experience," Morrow said. "I will not forget it."