Session 9

Session 9 at Piedmont IB Middle in Charlotte NC.

The primary focus of session 9 was to get some planes in the air. Being that Discovery Place has no good place to fly an airplane, Piedmont will be the location for the remainder of the class sessions. We had 3 planes ready to take out for flight testing by the middle of class during this session. At the

last minute one of the 3 planes had a technical issue that would postpone its flight until the final session, session 10.
 

 

A number of parents showed up to witness the flights, though we were only able to test fly 2 planes. Due to technical issues neither plane flew particularly well. The prime issue was that the instructor, me, installed 2 of the propellers incorrectly. After a brief e-mail correspondence with the Brooklyn Aerodrome this issue came to light. During the weekend the propeller installations were tested in the EMS Lab. Having the propeller facing the correct way produces 100% more thrust than having it installed incorrectly. It was most certainly an embarrassing mistake on my part but one I will never forget. The greatest part about science or trying and doing is that we often learn far more from our failures than from our successes. That same thinking is a driving force for this program. These planes are not perfect but they are the work of each student. Each plane will work as the student constructed it.

Due to challenges faced in session 9 we had a some disappointed and disheartened students. I am also sure we had some concerned parents and teachers. This tension weighed heavy on me as the session came to a close. I went home that evening and told my wife about the challenges of the day. In her wisdom she explained to me how the frustration I saw was a good thing. Those strong feelings are because the students are invested in and really care about what they are doing. If they were apathetic about the challenges then I should worry. That opened my eyes to how much these students love the learning and process they are experiencing in this program.

 

 

The next session, session 10, will be the final session. We will put flight decks on each plane and try to get each student in the air and flying. Some of the flights may be brief but each plane will get into the air. At the end of the session each student will take home their airframes as a reminder of their work. A parts list will also be supplied that gives students the opportunity to reproduce the flight and control deck on their own time. The cost for all of the materials to do this comes to around $160. I hope that those who have the resources available might take this next step of exploration. For those who do not have the resources, I hope this program has opened new windows of possibilities and dreams for their future.

 



 

Session 8

Session 8 at Piedmont IB Middle in Charlotte NC.

The primary focus of session 8 was to finish the airframes and get the planes ready to fly. It is during this session that we also moved the program to Piedmont IB Middle http://schools.cms.k12.nc.us/piedmontMS/Pages/Default.aspx . Being that Discovery Place has no good place to fly an airplane, Piedmont will be the location for the remainder of the class sessions. When the planes are flight ready we will head out to Piedmont's soccer field and give them a try. This did not happen by the end of session 8 but it is very likely to happen by the end of session 9.

Today was a catch up day for some students who had missed sessions. It was also a day for attaching 3D printed elevon connectors to planes, using zip ties. Most of the session was building,building, building. One of the key portions of today was also cutting the correct length of control rod to run from the servos, on the power plant and control board, to the elevons on the airframe. Coat hangers are the raw material for the control rods. The proper length of the control rods is very important as each power plant and control board will be removable and used for multiple airframes. These rods will remain with each airframe but should easily work with any of our 5 power plant and control boards.

It was so great to see such a large group of students working so diligently on their tasks. The reward of getting these airplanes in the air will surely be an amazing milestone for all of the students.

The staff at Piedmont IB Middle have been so helpful in making this program a great success. Paul Booth, who we have worked closely with, arranged or on site class space for the final sessions of the program. He also arranged for storage space for 20 very large foam airplanes. I would also like to say thank you to Ms. Burick for the use of her classroom.

During the next session we will finish preparing the airframes and getting the control rods bent for the elevons. The likely hope is to have at least 5 students test fly their airplanes by the end session 9. We also have plans to run a 10th session that is all flight. 

Session 7

Session 7

The primary focus of session 7 was to finish cutting out the planes and begin building assembling the airframes. During the original planning phase the class was set to run 7 sessions. Being that this program is a first run program we were not sure exactly how much time would be needed. In the end it looks like we will need 9 or 10 total sessions but with our great partners at Piedmont Middle this will not be a problem.

When it comes to assembling the planes students need to tape the airframe to add more strength to the material. They also has to attach their vertical stabilizers and make holes for mounting the power plant and control structure. Being that components are positioned relative to this power plant and control structure we often refer to it as a "template." It is the white section in the image above. The "template contains the motor, speed control, RC receiver, servos that will move the elevons and the lithium polymer batteries that will power the plane. Discovery Place has also designed and 3D printed a micro camera holder, the green part in the image above,  for each "template." The hope is to get some great in flight video.

At this point in the program there are students at 3 different stages of assembly. In total we have 20 students each building their own airplane to fly.  

The next session will take place at Piedmont Middle. The goal is to get some first flights done, but we are not likely to get that far. The goal of the next session will be for students to connect their 3D printed elevon connects to the elevons. They will also need to cut and bend their control rods that connect the servos to the elevons.The flights will likely happen during session 9.



Session 6

Session 6

The primary focus of session 6 was to finish marking out planes on foam board and to cut the planes out. For this task student used hot knives. A hot knife is a soldering iron with an exacto blade on the end. We handed these tools to middle school students. Before cutting the class as a whole and each student one on one were given safety insturctions. We set up 4 cutting stations. Once they put on their googles and kevlar gloves students were required to show the teacher how they would cut safely.

This was done by showing standing position and cutting action to the instructor before begining. As each student demonstrated their ability to make a cut that was not directed toward any part of thier body they were set free to cut out thier airplane parts.

Students who were not cutting continued to help mark out airplanes on foam. As you may be able to tell from the large number of photos we also had some volunteer photographers. This group from Piedmont Middle has shown to be a great group of responsible and hard working students.

During the next session we will finish cutting out airframes and begin the basic assembly of the aircraft. 

Session 5

Session 5

The primary focus of session 5 was laying out the airplane design on insulating foam. This involved learning to ready plans, measuring, marking, finding center points and doing some math. The plans that are being used for this program are the plans for a "Towel" aircraft from the Brooklyn Aerodrome http://brooklynaerodrome.com/ . They have created a simple to build RC plane that utilizes basic shapes and elevon flight controls.

Given that each airplane starts out as a 3" X  5" piece of foam students spread out on the museum floor. This gave each person plenty of space to make good use of their meter stick and marking tools.

Once all of the markings were made on the foam board students could begin to see what their plane may look like.

By the end of the session many of the students had completed marking their foam board. Those who were finished early offered to help other students with their marking. As more students finished theirs they offered to help even more of their fellow classmates. At some point during this work out VP of Education passed by, completely invisible to the thoroughly engaged students.

During the next session we will finish marking the designs on the foam boards and start cutting them out.

Session 4

Session 4

The primary focus of session 4 was preparing a drawing for the 3D printer. Going into this session the students were very excited. By the end of the session they were relieved that they were done. The process for ensuring that an image is ready for 3D printing is not as easy as preparing an image for 2D printing. We used Replicator G 0040 as our G code generator (in essence the CAM software).

The drawings, which had been saved as STL files are loaded into Replicator G. The drawings then need to be positioned, oriented and (if need be scaled). We covered all of these functions as well as setting up the print quality and ALL of the things that can be set for a 3D print. It was a bit overwhelming at time for some students but many of them fired off great questions about how certain functions work. They also asked leading questions that showed they were thinking ahead about possible capabilities and limitations of the printer.

After the G code is generated we looked at the tens of thousands of code commands that make up each object. The students were shown how to set the waiting position of the printer. They also learned how to manipulate the temperatures of the extruder and build platform.

By the end of class the students had prepared their G code for use in the 3D printer.

Next session we will begin laying out the shape and design of the students airframes. There will be a lot of measuring, reading diagrams and transferring measurements.

Session 3

Session 3

The primary focus of session 3 was on drawing a 3D structure that will be used as an elevon connector for the completed airplanes. Students refined some of the designs they began last week. Some groups chose to start from scratch and create a totally different design than last week.

Before getting on the computers the students were also introduced to one of our Makerbot 3D printers. We went over the basic principals of how it works. We also discussed how their drawings become something that the 3D printer will make. Some of the key discussion points revolved around size, structure, orientation of their design and overhangs.

For about 10 minutes the students fired off fantastic and insightful questions about 3D printing and rapid prototyping.

We ended up with some great designs. Next week the students will learn how to prepare their drawings for print by a 3D printer. The end result will become a functional part of their aircraft.