Model Airplanes

Jon Benoit, a member of the Wachusett RC Flyers, tests equipment prior to sending his model plane into flight.
Christine Smith photo It was a fall afternoon – pleasant and sunny – and mini-sized planes were humming vertically until their engines were cut and they floated silently overhead catching thermal lifts, twirling and twisting and catapulting in mid-air.

Invisible to spot, but discovered easily by the trained eye looking for sudden shifting in a plane’s movements, thermal air masses are one of the challenges in piloting these radio controlled small aircraft and keeping them in the sky longer.

A few members of the Wachusett RC Flyers recently gathered together on one of the few good weather opportunities the late fall had left to offer, eagerly ready to demonstrate their fascinating and fairly unique hobby. With controls in hand, they relaxed in their hammock-like chairs and gazed upward as they skillfully guided the flight patterns of their small planes above the little runway carved into the grassy hillside at the site of the old town landfill in Sterling.

http://www.thelandmark.com/news/2014-11-13/Sterling_News/Model_airplanes_take_flight_in_Sterling.html

Since ancient times, scientifically minded people have tried to figure out the mechanisms behind the physical world. Astronomers observed the movement of the sun and stars, biologists watched humans and animals interact with their environment, engineers noticed the angular similarities behind structurally sound buildings. They may have had simple tools to aid them—a basic measuring device, a compass, perhaps an early telescope.

Today, teachers of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) topics mostly stick to the theoretical aspects. Students must know the number of degrees in a triangle, but rarely do they get to put that knowledge to use through structured lessons.

The tools listed here are transforming the way teachers approach STEM education. Integrating these new tools into their lessons can help teachers teachers reinforce theoretical concepts by demonstrating their real-world applications. By showing students that the knowledge is relevant and useful, teachers can help them unlock new realms of creativity in all scientific realms and possibly change their future career trajectories.

3-D Printers

Whether they’re used to create food, organs or mechanical parts, 3-D printers allow engineers to make their designs tangible and physical. And that’s just what they can do for students, too; as 3-D printers have become less expensive and more ubiquitous, schools have begun integrating them into their

Article source: http://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2014/11/five-tools-that-are-transforming-stem-education/382305/

One local Rosie the Riveter, Kay Catherine Bentley of Ormond-by-the-Sea, said recently “I was proud to serve my country,”

Modesty aside, she is still often treated like a war hero.

Whenever she flies, Kay said she likes to introduce herself to the flight crew.

When a pilot announced the presence of a Rosie the Riveter on one flight, she got a round of applause from the passengers and crew alike. Another time, a flight attendant promoted her from economy to first class.

The appreciation was hard earned.

As a child of the Great Depression, Kay remembers her family feeling fortunate that her eldest brother got a job right out of high school.

James Eckley was one of six honor students selected from the Milton S. Hershey School — then called the Hershey Industrial School in Hershey, Pennsylvania — to work in a machine shop for Glenn L. Martin near Baltimore. The airplane manufacturer would later merge into Lockheed Martin.

With war on the horizon, opportunity would soon knock for James’ sisters, too.

In a letter to Kay’s older sister, James wrote “Mae, why don’t you come down? They’re hiring women,” according to an interview in the magazine, America in World War II. Mae Eckley Graybill would also be interviewed by a PBS station in Pennsylvania about her experiences as a Rosie the Riveter.

For a time, Mae lived in an apartment building for factory workers on a street actually named Fuselage Avenue. Kay joined her older sister right out of high school and worked at

Article source: http://www.news-journalonline.com/article/20141110/LIVING/141119962?Title=Ormond-Beach-retiree-worked-as-an-actual-x2018-Rosie-the-Riveter-x2019-

NORTHWEST FORSYTH — Many retirees pick up a hobby to keep themselves occupied, but Claude Whittle of northwestern Forsyth County rebuilt a 1952 Willy’s M-38 Jeep, affectionately known as Colonel Maggie.

Though Whittle, a retired flight instructor and Vietnam veteran, isn’t sure about the history of his particular vehicle, the model was produced for the Korean War.

“Korean vintage, they produced 45,473 between 1950 and 1952,” Whittle said. “It’s a three-speed, four-wheel drive. You’re sitting on a … gas tank that holds about 15 gallons of fuel, which is another thing that made it dangerous.”

Maggie is named for actress Martha Raye, who entertained troops during World War II, Korea and Vietnam. Due to her efforts, she was named an honorary colonel in the Marines and lieutenant colonel in the Army. In addition, she’s the only woman buried in the Special Forces Cemetery at Fort Bragg, N.C.

“She worked with Bob Hope, and a lot of his tours,” Whittle said. “Where Bob Hope usually hung around the big bases with the big crowds, she would go out to the boonies, and the firebase camps with the special forces and all those guys. And they loved her.”

When Whittle got the vehicle, the underside was rusted out and the body needed work. He had to completely take apart the vehicle and rebuild it.

“It looked good from the outside, but it had a lot of dents and dings,” Whittle said. “Every nut and bolt has been off it at least once, sometimes more than once. But

Article source: http://www.forsythnews.com/section/20/article/26084/