Blog 8 – Independent Component 1 Proposal

~While the Wright Brothers' first successful powered flight is the most well known events in aviation history, there have been countless other attempts in flying before that. In fact, gliders(specialized aircraft that does not use engines) were already being used by those who wanted to create the first successful powered aircraft.  

1. Describe in detail what you plan to do for your 30 hours.
• For my independent component, I want to build a small aircraft from scratch. I plan on using cheap recyclable materials like plastic, wood, etc. to build this. The aircraft will most likely be a glider because the addition of engines might overcomplicate the entire project. I am, however, open to any changes that might be needed. If I happen to get the necessary knowledge/skills, then there is a possibility that I will include engines, flaps, and other moving parts that will give me control over the aircraft. The entirety of the project is divided into 4 stages(phases), and, if time allows, will have an additional film stage. The 4 main stages are comprised of research, design, building, and testing. All four stages will most likely overlap at one point, but I will still record each phase individually. The additional stage(filming) will be to record the building and testing phases.
2. Discuss how or what you will do to meet the expectation of showing 30 hours of evidence.
• To meet the expectation of showing 30 hours of evidence, I plan to divide this into 4 stages(phases): research, design, building and testing.
1. The first stage, research, will most likely take 4-8 hours. I think that this will be done in one or two mentorship days. I understand that research check is separate from independent component and I intend to do these two separately; there is, however, a possibility that some of the sources I use on research check and independent component will overlap. During this stage, I also want to spend time looking for the best materials I can use for the project.
2. The second stage, design, will probably take a considerable amount of time. During the design phase, I intend to use the information I obtained from the research phase to make a practical design for the aircraft. The main difference between the first and second stage is that in the first stage, my goal is to compile as much information as I can on simple aircraft designs, while the latter is to narrow down and combine these designs into one that I can use. In the design stage, I also intend to build small “prototypes” using cardboard to see which design works and which doesn’t. The entirety of the design phase will probably take 8-12 hours.
3. The third stage, building, will most likely be the longest. I think that during the building stage, I will spend about 15-20 hours of work. There will most likely be about 2 or more aircraft build in total. The reason being is that I am almost sure that the first design will have many flaws. It is important to know that some aspects of the design phase will most likely overlap with the building phase.
4. The last stage is the testing phase. In this stage, I will be testing the final aircraft and see how it performs. The duration of the testing phase will depend on how the final aircraft performs; however, I think that this phase will most likely take at least 3 hours. I believe that the testing phase will occur sometime during and after the building phase.
• Note: In addition to blog posts, I also intend to record the entire building and testing stages using a short video. Editing this will probably take about 3-5 hours.
• By adding up the minimum estimates of the 4 stages, I will have 30 hours. If I include the recording process (video filming, setting up, editing, etc.) I will have over 30 hours. This means that even if I fall short on one of the stages (in terms of how long it will take), I can use the additional “filming stage” to make sure I reach the minimum 30 hours.
3. Explain how what you will be doing will help you explore your topic in more depth.
• As you might already know, my senior topic is aerospace engineering. Through the research I have done so far, I have been looking at how an aircraft works. I’ve looked into the different parts of an airplane, the forces that act upon an aircraft and how these forces are utilized to make airplanes(and other aircraft in general) more effective. It’s one thing to read about how airplanes work, but it’s also another to actually understand how they work firsthand.By building an aircraft that actually flies, I can have a better understanding of what the early pioneers of aviation had to go through. In other words, I want to have a firsthand experience of being able to make something of my own. Moreover, this project will also show me why certain designs are ineffective.
4. Update your Senior Project Hours log.
• Unfortunately, there is nothing for me to update on my senior project hours log. I haven’t done my mentorship yet (besides summer mentorship) because I was only able to get a mentor after my first interview. To add on to that, my mentor, Dr. Eric Fodran, had to leave on a business trip and is unsure whether or not he can return in time for my interview. I am currently looking for another mentor so that I can catch up on my hours. I am still interested in mentoring for Dr. Fodran, but because I don’t know when he will return, I would rather look for someone else so that I can use my time effectively.
• Senior Project Hours Link