I started an after school STEM program (FFRC)!

Chuppster

Well-known member
How do you prevent the kids(middle school) from accidental throttle up with hands near the prop. I have had a couple near misses myself.

First, we set up a throttle kill switch. This is a good idea for anyone from Middle Schooler's to the most experienced pilots.

Second, a simple rule: When indoors you can have a propeller on your motor OR a battery plugged in, never both. The only exception is when you are testing current draw during a static run-up in which case someone is holding the airplane. When at the field the throttle is to be cut until you are ready to launch.
 

JetCrafts

Active member
i even dont know if we can make new after school things( forgot what its called ) because the year that it started for us covid started . sam-u question how do you conduct the program does everyone share a plane have their own plane or what
 

Chuppster

Well-known member
i even dont know if we can make new after school things( forgot what its called ) because the year that it started for us covid started . sam-u question how do you conduct the program does everyone share a plane have their own plane or what

As it shows in the intro posts, all the students get to build their own airplanes. They can even take them home at the end of the year if they replace the materials.
 

Chuppster

Well-known member
so does the school provide or what I'm confusedand are they rc or only foam

The funds are provided by community donors (our local club is one of them, we also have a business that helps out tremendously). The school provides a place to meet and a mini-bus to go to the flying field. We aren't officially a part of FT STEM but we could be.
 

Reills

Member
I'm he MakerSpace teacher at a boys boarding school in New York. To prevent having to reteach in January what we taught in December the school breaks the student body into small groups and each group works on a single project. The middle school science and history teachers came to me with the idea of "The History of Flight: Da Vinci to Space-X".

I had already had success with 9th grade students designing and building RC cars as a way to teach mechanics (acceleration, centrifugal force, gear ratios, etc). Adding the 3rd dimension with planes was a logical progression. Twelve students built six Old Fogeys (I built a seventh as an example). The school funded the electronics as we explained they were reusable for several years. The students could take the plane. We kept the motor, esc, and radio and provided a parts list with links.

It was a somewhat windy day. Seven planes went up, one after the other. One landed on its wheels (not mine). That evening I found the Clear View RC Flight Sim. It was a case of "Ready! FIRE! Aim!". During the project showcase several parents asked where they could obtain the electronics. The Headmaster (who flew the simulator well) also mentioned the possibility of creating an RC Club on campus.
 
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Chuppster

Well-known member
I'm he MakerSpace teacher at a boys boarding school in New York. To prevent having to reteach in January what we taught in December the school breaks the student body into small groups and each group works on a single project. The middle school science and history teachers came to me with the idea of "The History of Flight: Da Vinci to Space-X".

I had already had success with 9th grade students designing and building RC cars as a way to teach mechanics (acceleration, centrifugal force, gear ratios, etc). Adding the 3rd dimension with planes was a logical progression. Twelve students built six Old Fogeys (I built a seventh as an example). The school funded the electronics as we explained they were reusable for several years. The students could take the plane. We kept the motor, esc, and radio and provided a parts list with links.

It was a somewhat windy day. Seven planes went up, one after the other. One landed on its wheels (not mine). That evening I found the Clear View RC Flight Sim. It was a case of "Ready! FIRE! Aim!"). During the project showcase several parent asked where they could obtain the electronics. The Headmaster (who flew the simulator well) also mentioned the possibility of creating an RC Club on campus.

That's awesome!!