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fandomhigh2008-09-04 01:08 am
crazypilotman.livejournal.com) wrote in fandomhigh2008-09-04 01:08 am
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Aviation & Avionics, Thursday September 4, Period 2
Murdock was at the front of a classroom, his first actual classroom and therefore he was a bit giddy about it the whole prospect, scrawling something on the blackboard.
Aviation & Avionics: A Practical Application to the Development of Flight
Just because he liked the name.
Grinning, he turned to his students.
"Hey! I think I already know half of ya, for the rest, I'm Murdock. You don't have to call me Mister or Professor, just Murdock is fine. I ain't much on formalities."
"So, I made this syllabus thingy," which he handed out, "and that's pretty much what we'll be covering. More or less. Sometimes less, sometimes more," he waved absently, "but you'll get the hang of it, I'm sure," he grinned.
"I'll have office hours on Wednesdays and you can probably catch me before and after class too. So let's start!"
(wait for ocd go!)
Aviation & Avionics: A Practical Application to the Development of Flight
Just because he liked the name.
Grinning, he turned to his students.
"Hey! I think I already know half of ya, for the rest, I'm Murdock. You don't have to call me Mister or Professor, just Murdock is fine. I ain't much on formalities."
"So, I made this syllabus thingy," which he handed out, "and that's pretty much what we'll be covering. More or less. Sometimes less, sometimes more," he waved absently, "but you'll get the hang of it, I'm sure," he grinned.
"I'll have office hours on Wednesdays and you can probably catch me before and after class too. So let's start!"
(
Sign In.
Intros!
Discussion!
And then throw paper wads back at you.
The Prof!
Re: Discussion!
"However, the simple airscrew principle, or propeller as most call it, that was used in the Middle Ages in windmills, would be more crucial to the development of powered flight than any wing-flapping machine. As far back as 400 BC, the Chinese were using the airscrew principle in children's toys. Spring-powered propellers would fly like modern-day helicopters, straight up for 50 feet (15 meters) or more."
"Leonardo da Vinci, was the first to think about how a flying machine would actually be built. He sketched dozens of propeller-driven helicopters, parachutes and ornithopters (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ornithopter) with flapping wings, all complete with diagrams that showed how they were supposed to be built and how they were supposed to operate. Even though most of his ideas would have been unflyable had they been built, Leonardo's ornithopters improved upon Bacon's in one aspect; they were drawn with stabilizing tails. His one workable idea was the propeller-driven helicopter, designed around the airscrew principle. However, human muscles were not strong enough and there were no engines light enough at that time to provide the power to lift a helicopter and its pilot off the ground."
"The first person to make a systematic, scientific study of the design of a fixed-wing airplane was Sir George Cayley (http://www.ctie.monash.edu.au/hargrave/cayley.html). By 1799, Cayley had made the most important single discovery in the history of aviation. He found that air flowing over the top of a curved, fixed wing will create lift, the upward force that opposes the pull of gravity. Cayley also determined that the larger the wing, and the faster the flow of air over it, the greater the lift that will be created. In addition, he understood the need for some sort of a tail to give an aircraft horizontal and vertical control."
"In 1804, Cayley was working to design a machine with the potential to fly as fast as 100mph (161kph). To learn about the sizes and shapes that would work best, he built a 'whirling-arm' device, similar to windmill sails. Using this, the was able to determine that it would be possible to build a wing large enough to lift not only itself, but a person as well. But it wasn't until 1849 that Cayley was known to have built a large glider with triplane wings, three wings in a vertical stack, and two cross-shaped tails on the rear of a simple fuselage. Cayley even used at least one wheel for what would later come to be called 'landing gear'. A few years later, in 1852-1853, George Cayley built a single-winged (monoplane) glider that carried a simple three-wheeled cart in which the pilot rode. According to Cayley's notes, it was pulled forward into the air by several people hauling a long rope."
"1809, Cayley designed a full-size glider that could carry a person, however there is no evidence that it actually took flight. But he referred to it in an article, On Aerial Navigation (http://invention.psychology.msstate.edu/i/Cayley/Cayley.html) published in 1810. The article dealt with the main problem faced by those trying to design a flying machine, "to make a surface support a given weight by the application of power to the resistance of air." It was the first time anyone had written about the principles of aerodynamics and for the next century, anyone seriously interested in the science of flight would refer to Cayley's writings."
Re: Discussion!
OOC
Re: Sign In.
Re: Sign In.
Re: Intros!
Gulliver lifted his head and burbled at the rest of the class before going back to his nap.
Re: Intros!
And possibly make a big mess of class in the process.
Re: Sign In.
Re: Intros!
Then, feeling like that seemed a bit inadequate she added an ironic wave.
Re: Intros!
Re: Intros!
Re: Intros!
Re: Sign In.
Re: Intros!
Re: Intros!
At least with this class, he wouldn't have to worry about Jack knocking himself out.
Or at least he hoped not.
Re: Intros!
Jack probably wouldn't knock himself out. Really.