Model Airplanes

HOWELL, Mich. (AP) — A group of Howell High School students flew through last week’s finals, then crashed.

Literally.

Students in Howell’s student aviation ground school program not only completed a written test but created motorized model airplanes, based on the flight concepts they’d learned, according to the Livingston Daily Press Argus ( http://bit.ly/1y3xD2k ).

The test was challenging. A question about converting temperatures from Fahrenheit to Celsius was about the easiest of the nearly 40 they faced.

But getting the model planes off the ground was even more challenging.

Not every one of the five teams got their craft off the ground and even those that did experienced some bumpy landings.

“Landing gear, that was the biggest challenge,” said Hillary Rickelmann. Her mostly female team created a plane that not only flew but performed a neat loop before coming down.

Teams were creative but realized early that

Article source: http://www.argus-press.com/news/state_news/article_cbb8f1b2-7490-509d-9c14-9d1491008ed9.html

Torrance resident Ron Schroeder stands by his 1922 Stanley Steamer. Photo by Richard Foss.

When Ron Schroeder was eleven years old, his father took him to an exhibition of antique steam-powered farm equipment, and he noticed something that was out of place.

“I admiring a steam traction engine and what looked like a Ford Model A went by, but it was very quiet. I went to talk with the owner, and asked, ‘This looks like a Model A, but it doesn’t sound like one.’” He said, “You’re very right, son. It’s a Model A body, but I have a Stanley Steamer driveline under it. Do you want a ride?”

That ride awakened a lifelong interest in steam cars, the Stanley in particular. The cars were built by a company — the Stanley Motor Carriage Company — started by a pair of eccentric identical twin inventors in 1899. Their vehicles were silent and reliable when gasoline-powered competitors were neither, and a custom-built Stanley racer set a speed record, going 197 miles an hour in 1907. The Stanley twins built a variety of models but marketed them ineptly – they didn’t believe in advertising or offering cars in a range of colors, and

Article source: http://www.easyreadernews.com/91121/steaming-ahead-stanley-steamer-enthusiast-ron-schroeder/

There’s a new Air Force One on the way, and it’s about time. The beat-up pair of modified 747s that have been hauling the world’s most powerful passenger for 25 years are reaching the end of their useful lifespans, and are set to be replaced.

The presidential planes are renowned for the tech specs of their interior cabins, which allow a globe-trotting commander-in-chief to run the country, and even manage a war, virtually the same way he would in the White House. But their fuselages are hardly state-of-the-art.

The Air Force announced this week that it had picked the next model for its flying fortress: a Boeing 747-8 with a tail the height of a six-story building and which, according to the company’s “fun facts,” can carry more than $5 billion in solid gold bars from Fort Knox. (Heaven forbid the need arises…) It’ll be the first complete upgrade for Air Force One since the current planes arrived in 1990 and 1991.

“I’m surprised they haven’t replaced it before now,” said John Haigh Sr., a former chief steward of Air Force

Article source: http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2015/01/air-force-one-point-three/385037/

HOWELL, Mich. (AP) — A group of Howell High School students flew through last week’s finals, then crashed.

Literally.

Students in Howell’s student aviation ground school program not only completed a written test but created motorized model airplanes, based on the flight concepts they’d learned, according to the Livingston Daily Press Argus ( http://bit.ly/1y3xD2k ).

The test was challenging. A question about converting temperatures from Fahrenheit to Celsius was about the easiest of the nearly 40 they faced.

But getting the model planes off the ground was even more challenging.

Not every one of the five teams got their craft off the ground and even those that did experienced some bumpy landings.

“Landing gear, that was the biggest challenge,” said Hillary Rickelmann. Her mostly female team created a plane that not only flew but performed a neat loop before coming down.

Teams were creative but realized early that they’d have to throw out some of their more extreme ideas like rocket engines and wedge designs.

“We’re just happy it flew,” said Christian Harris.

His team’s plane stayed airborne long enough to capture the class’ inaugural flight competition trophy.

Each team had to finance its model airplane and team T-shirts, raising money and technical support from local businesses.

“They had to do this all on their own,” teacher Jay McDowell said.

Over the past month, students visited hardware stores and hobby shops for parts and materials.

Teams and mentors watched the action inside a hangar at Howell Township’s Crosswinds Aviation, which presents the class in partnership with the school district.

An elective, the

Article source: http://www.greenwichtime.com/news/article/Howell-students-fly-through-finals-in-aviation-6050669.php