Science Fair 2006-07

[Sukhoikid]

Well I am in the 11th grade this year and the last year that I have to do a science fair for school. In the 9th grade I did prop material and rpms. and won 2nd in the school Last year in 10th grade I did prop blades and rpms and won 2nd in region. (close to going to state and international) This year I want to keep it going with aviation. I want to do something that I would use the models to test it. I was kind of thinking about to continue the project from the last two years and do prop pitch and rpms this year. Any ideas?

[ilovemetro]

curvetures for airfoils and how different airfoils affect lift/drag of the plane..

[TonyThomasian]

I like that idea..

	Quote: Originally Posted by ilovemetro
	curvetures for airfoils and how different airfoils affect lift/drag of the plane..

[SleepyC]

Do it on 3D flight. and show how during 3D flight the air plane is no longer "flying" and is using "thrust vectoring" to stay in the air.
You could calculate the forces necessary to keep the airplane up, as well as show how many control surface inputs are needed to actually keep the plane stable.

Just a thoiught

[sweetpea]

or do reverse pitch..........and demonstrate with a foamie

[Ion01]

	Quote: Originally Posted by ilovemetro
	curvetures for airfoils and how different airfoils affect lift/drag of the plane..

You could do something about how different airfoil cross sections have different effects on airflow at different speeds and angle of attach with a small homemade wind tunnel and then demonstrate how a flat wing like on a foamy is good for high AoA by flying one.

[Sukhoikid]

Thanks for the ideas.

[~SnApRoLl]

You could enter my wicked step mother inlaw as your project you'd win for sure, or maybe scare everyone out of the building LOL j/k Good luck with the aviation theme.

[ilovemetro]

	Quote: Originally Posted by Ion01
	You could do something about how different airfoil cross sections have different effects on airflow at different speeds and angle of attach with a small homemade wind tunnel and then demonstrate how a flat wing like on a foamy is good for high AoA by flying one.

now theres an idea!

[Edge 540]

Hey, Science fair!
I entered the science fair for the first time last year as a senior in highschool. I entered a project that I had/have been working on for awhile.
Biggest things
-original ideas
-know as much as you possibly can on the subject
(you will get some off the wall questions, especially in lower levels)
-Either do all your own work, or get an extremely specialized project. If it is a simple project, and you had a lot of assistance it probably wont do well.
-Try to be as proficient at speaking with professionals a possible. No slang words,good eye contact etcetera.
-Don't give up!!!!! It's worth it. If you really do have a good project (read -sufficiently difficult), you will probably want to at some point. I had to give up a position on the golf team me senior year after competing in two sports throughout high school. It was definitely worth it in the end.

Me,
I started out looking for an aviation related project 2 years ago. I eventually decided on a study of adaptive wing structures. My project consisted of a 3 part proof of concept for a telescopic morphing wing. I designed constructed, and flew a 102" RC aircraft capable of altering its wingspan in flight up to 67%. After lots of flight testing, I collected data using Eagle tree flight telemetry equipment, and analyzed this data to determine the practicality of my concept. There is an extraordinary amount of time involved with data analysis but it really makes the difference between a high quality project, and a lesser caliber experiment. My project was very involved because it consisted of not only designing and scratch building a very complex wing structure, I also had to test fly, analyze and present my work on a tight schedule. One of my favorite parts though, was the originality of the concept. Through extensive research, I could only fine a small handful of similar experiments, and mine was unique in several key areas.
I ended up competing on all three levels of the ISEF science fair including local, state and international. It was a huge learning experience, and a great time. It is a TON of work, but if you have subject you are truly passionate about, the time is well spent. I think about aviation enough anyways, why not put it to good work!

If you have questions, let me know. I can probably help. You might also be interested in my abstract, data or other info on my project. I have hours and hours worth of presentation materials.

[Edge 540]

Oh, I forgot to mention. Model aircraft design by Andy Lennon is an excellent resource and is easier to obtain than some texts. I have read it cover to cover dozens of times, and even summarized the first 9 chapters in my notes. You will learn a lot.

[Biff]

I would go with VP on an electric motor. Have a Watt meter and measure static thrust. This would show a ton of stuff. Peak thrust from a given pitch/motor/battery combination, at what point the current draw vs pitch give optimum performance, the list goes on and on. This would be a valuable tool for you to use in electrics too. I always opted for something that was cool for the science fair,but usefull as well.