mike.chuanshi
Member
This is a request for a new design/plane that can be used in schools:
I have a STEM initiative starting up soon which will focus on aviation and aerial robotics. RC airplanes provide a great way to introduce these topics, and will be one of the first units covered. Students and their parents are so thrilled about this that a smaller-scale pilot program for this initiative filled up in less than 24 hours after I first mentioned that it would happen - and that was just through word-of-mouth spreading of information among teachers and parents.
There is one big hurdle, however. Good trainer planes are expensive and virtually all lack the power needed to handle the wind conditions here in Hawaii. Moreover, there are only 6 public areas where rc airplanes can be flown on Oahu, and none of them are very good for beginners given exposure to wind and being fairly small in size.
What is needed is a plane that is slow and easy to control (suitable for young beginners in the upper elementary and middle school grades) and can penetrate the winds which regularly blow at speeds ranging from 10 to 20 mph. The plane also needs to be cheap and easy to repair - especially since school administrators don't support things like this and it will be money from parents, along with what I pay out-of-pocket, that will fund all purchases. Better yet, such a plane would be able to be built by students out of foamboard.
I'm calling this request/challenge PROJECT AOLANI (aolani means "heavenly cloud" in Hawaiian, and is a combination of the words ao, which means cloud, and lani, which means sky or heaven). Although I'm pretty sure that there are groups of all kinds outside of Hawaii that will greatly appreciate a plane like the one described above.
In case anyone is feeling especially ambitious, perhaps they may be able to create a design for a long-duration, long-range version of the proposed AOLANI plane: one which could be used to fly between schools located on different islands. This would be a huge inspiration for the students, and would get countless more students, parents, and educators involved in STEM and aviation. The amount that can be learned from involvement in such educational opportunties is limitless - as I'm sure you are all well-aware.
I have a STEM initiative starting up soon which will focus on aviation and aerial robotics. RC airplanes provide a great way to introduce these topics, and will be one of the first units covered. Students and their parents are so thrilled about this that a smaller-scale pilot program for this initiative filled up in less than 24 hours after I first mentioned that it would happen - and that was just through word-of-mouth spreading of information among teachers and parents.
There is one big hurdle, however. Good trainer planes are expensive and virtually all lack the power needed to handle the wind conditions here in Hawaii. Moreover, there are only 6 public areas where rc airplanes can be flown on Oahu, and none of them are very good for beginners given exposure to wind and being fairly small in size.
What is needed is a plane that is slow and easy to control (suitable for young beginners in the upper elementary and middle school grades) and can penetrate the winds which regularly blow at speeds ranging from 10 to 20 mph. The plane also needs to be cheap and easy to repair - especially since school administrators don't support things like this and it will be money from parents, along with what I pay out-of-pocket, that will fund all purchases. Better yet, such a plane would be able to be built by students out of foamboard.
I'm calling this request/challenge PROJECT AOLANI (aolani means "heavenly cloud" in Hawaiian, and is a combination of the words ao, which means cloud, and lani, which means sky or heaven). Although I'm pretty sure that there are groups of all kinds outside of Hawaii that will greatly appreciate a plane like the one described above.
In case anyone is feeling especially ambitious, perhaps they may be able to create a design for a long-duration, long-range version of the proposed AOLANI plane: one which could be used to fly between schools located on different islands. This would be a huge inspiration for the students, and would get countless more students, parents, and educators involved in STEM and aviation. The amount that can be learned from involvement in such educational opportunties is limitless - as I'm sure you are all well-aware.