January Blog Post

This month for my Senior project I have mostly been working on how I am going to complete my independent component. I have gone searching for supplies and plans, but many are not turning out to be what I need them to be. I have purchased a bunch of balsa wood in hopes that I would be able to easily form it into the airfoil to create a wing. Turns out, it is much to hard to precisely cut this with the means I have at my availability. I also have come across a great many plans that I could use, but without an expensive laser cutter to cut out parts to scale, building an airplane from a schematic is very difficult. Precision is key. As a result, I have decided to purchase a kit that comes with the parts pre-laser cut, but requires a great deal of time to precisely connect and put together. I had hoped to build it completely from scratch, but because I knew nothing of working with this before hand, I am incapable of creating it as such. Making the craft fly is also going to be difficult, but if I can get a motor and hook it up right, it should be able to get off the ground with the right airfoil structure. (When complete I plan for it to look similar to this WW2 P52 mustang like below)

Lesson 2 Reflection

1.What are you most proud of in your Lesson 2 Presentation and why?

I am most proud of my ability to communicate what I feel is the most basic aerodynamics in a fairly understandable manner for the audience.

2. a. What assessment would you give yourself on your Lesson 2 Presentation (self-assessment)?

 P

b. Explain why you deserve that grade using evidence from the Lesson 2 component contract.

I feel I deserve a P because I fulfilled all of the requirements at the top of the contract to receive a P, and I did so adequately, especially the quality research portion because the majority of my presentation was factual information on aerodynamics.

3. What worked for you in your Lesson 2?

What worked for me was my ability to have enough information to talk for at least the required time, and maybe more.

4. What didn't work? If you had a time machine, what would you have done differently to improve your Lesson 2?

If I had my time machine, I would have rehearsed my presentation completely so there were less awkward pauses throughout the presentation.

5. What do you think your answer #2 is going to be?

I think my second answer will have something to do with the fuel-efficient features that have made the Synergy aircraft such an efficient aircraft.

Blog 12: Mentorship 12 Hours Check

1. Where are you doing your mentorship?

Recently, I have been told by an employee for a aerospace manufacturing company that produces mechanical devices for military aircraft and space that I will be able to mentor there.

2. Who is your contact?

My contact will be Mario Trujillo, we have yet to meet however.

3. How many total hours have you done (total hours should be reflected in your mentorship log located on the right hand side of your blog like your WB)?

I have done no hours besides the summer ones due to the fact that my previous planned mentor told me I was no longer allowed to mentor under him or his company.

4. Summarize the 10 hours of service you did.

N/A.

Blog 11: Holiday Project Update

1. It is important to consistently work on your senior project, whether it is break or we are in school. What did you do over the break with your senior project?

     Over the break I began searching for possible designs and airfoil shapes for the aircraft I hope to construct for my independent component. I also began to get a list of the materials I will need, aswell as the tools I will need.

2. What was the most important thing you learned from what you did, and why? What was the source of what you learned?

    I learned the basics of RC plane design, like my first interviewee suggested I do, and this was pretty important because an RC craft reacts and performs similar to large scale craft, minus the heavy loads and heavy thrust. I learned most of what I did from a website called Stormthecastle.com.

3. If you were going to do a 10 question interview on questions related to answers for your EQ, who would you talk to and why?

    If I could, I would like to interview my first interviewee again because he is the most heavily involved in aircraft design and works with a lot of innovative designs and technology so he would probably have a better idea of things that can provide increased fuel-efficiency.