WHAT????

One of the first things we're going to be doing in my AerE 161 class is to make a simple computer game. This sounded kinda cool, until I heard that we would be doing it...

... in FORTRAN???

UnFORTRANately, FORTRAN doesn't do anything with graphics, sprites, or anything. We have to be a little creative, and do some research on our own.

It will be a simple tanks game, where you try to shoot a target by adjusting the angle of elevation of the cannon. Much like this game.

Nevertheless, this class is going to be very fun. Later on in the semester we will be building RC airplanes, completely from scratch, all of our own designs. But in the meantime, I will have to be satisfied with scratching my head for long hours.

World Record RC Glide Duration (not new)

The longest glide duration for an RC model was a staggering 36 hours and 3 minutes. I discovered this when looking for common glide ratios. It puzzled me for a while, and I decided to look into it.

Usually gliders can hitch a ride on columns of rising air called thermals. As the sun warms the ground, the warm air begins to rise, causing an updraft. Birds and gliders, and unfortunately sometimes rockets, can tap into this rising air and stay aloft for hours. But I had to think about it... 36 hours goes through the night, needless to say, and so obviously there would be no sun out to cause the thermals.


So I did a little bit of research, and found that there is another technique used by gliders to stay aloft: ridge-soaring. As the wind hits a slope, it is deflected upwards, so there is a stream of rising air right over a slope. This world record glide was simply hand-tossed from a slope and kept in the rising air for 36 hours.

Radio Control

I've just recently gotten into radio control (after years of wanting too) with this Eagle Eye helicopter. It's already been a great learning experience, so using my infant knowledge of RC, I'm planning on tackling yet another ambitious project... but more on that later. I won't be able to do much flying of anything until spring.

This helicopter was designed to carry a small micro-transmitting video camera, which is giving me all the more insentive to purchase that Booster Vision GearCam. And, using my 72 MHz transmitter, I'm toying with the idea of rigging a system for being able to manipulate and aim the camera from the ground.

But nothing is going to happen yet, because I am on a new schedule. I recently started to go to public school full time, and while this is excellent preparation for college (especially since all my classes are honors classes), I have no more time for tinkering and rocket-building.

Selah.

4 Channel Radio Transmitter

For a long time now I have been wanting to get into another area of aerospace: model airplanes. But it takes a lot of money and knowledge to get into it. Finally I ordered a 4 channel fm transmitter with a double rotor helicopter. I am really looking forward to its arrival! It probably won't be until after New Year's.

It also has the ability to attach a wireless camera downlinked to a pc or moniter. I might even try attaching my Flip video camera!