My Public Video Productions

Max Conrad Famous Local Aviator

There was a period in time I spent a considerable amount of effort in creating videos that were typically about 20 minutes minutes long. The first video was about alternative energy and my hope was for this to be shown at a local Earth Day celebration, that would never happen. For a first effort I though it turned out fairly well and I did show it in front of a few small groups. My next video project and the most widely shown video was about local famous aviator Max Conrad. This video came about when I casually mentioned to the History Center director that I would like to create a video about Max Conrad. Right away he wanted to know when I could present it, so I had to go to work and complete this.

At the time I had a website about Max Conrad which helped me get access to many photos from relatives of Max and other people that knew him. In Winona MN where I live this man was a hero and when I showed the video at the History Center it was the biggest crowd they ever had for a noon presentation. I would get requests to show this video in front of several groups. The website http://www.maxconrad.com I would turn over to the Conrad family.

After this I created a video about the Mayo Buildings in Rochester which is my hometown, a video about my father's business Champall Manufacturing, and one about local restaurants. Another presentation was a Power Point on the local railroads which a friend Bob Rydman did much of the on work. This was very popular too but I had someone else do the talking because my knowledge of local railroads was not that extensive.

Champall Manufacturing - My Father's Business

It was fun doing these projects and presenting in front of different groups. The subject matter was normally of local interest but that made it rather unique. Besides the History Center I would normally present at local senior center and nursing homes. Before showing the video I would talk for a few minutes and after the video answer questions. This was good for me to get the experience talking in front of large groups. I would like to do more of this but for all the effort to create one video normally less than 200 people will ever see it. I turned my efforts after that to create short YouTube videos that thousands of people would see for some videos, I do miss the more personal contact.

Bill Kuhl http://www.scienceguy.org

Micro Flyer - RTF Cheap Planes

Micro Flyer RTF by Bill Kuhl http://www.scienceguy.org

Building a model plane and then flying the model plane I think gives the most satisfaction but buying a model plane that is ready to fly (RTF) can be fun too. When my local flying buddies and I started flying some of the first electric radio control planes indoors there were not even kits available, the radio control came from a unit designed to fly a model indoor blimp. At some time after this the Wattage Micro Flyer was available mail order for around $30 I think. This tiny plane was made from foam and had the lightweight lithium battery which was a big advantage over the heavy nicad batteries we had been using. The radio technology was rather crude in that it was push button operation of a magnetic actuator that moved either right or left without proportional control. I started flying a non-proportional radio control system so many years ago and I caught on to flying the Micro Flyer pretty quickly.  It was really too fast to fly indoors so it was better to fly it outdoors when the wind was really light.

  This is a picture of the vertical fin and rudder with the magnetic actuator built in. Push buttons to start it moving either right or left. To control the turn you had to give it a series of button blips like flying the really old escapement radio control systems. There was speed control of the electric motor also.

  This is the push button transmitter. As you can see on the buttons the way to get the best control was to tap - tap on the buttons.

This was the lithium polymer battery that powered the radio control and the electric motor. It had to be placed on the transmitter to charged and then inserted into the airplane for charging. The connection in the plane could cause trouble at times.

This is a video of the Micro Flyer flying. It had a tendency to go into a spiral dive if you turned too much to the right. Barely missed the ground in this video.

Mentoring Over the Internet

Closeup of capacitor and electric motor in my sample plane.

 

Two years ago I received an email from a middle school student looking for help with constructing a model plane for a trial event in the Science Olympiad program known as Wright Capacitor. She could not find any help at school or from a local hobby shop. I replied that I would try to help the best I could through email.

The rules spelled out specifications for the airplane and certain capacitor which is an electronics component that stores electricity. I ordered a couple of the capacitors and designed a model plane that would comply with the rules. By postal mail I sent a simple rubber-powered kit so she could start getting some building experience.

I flew my capacitor plane outdoors and then sent pictures of it so that the student could try to design something similar. She made several planes, some by modifying kits and some scratch built. One of her planes flew away while testing outside, it had flown in a thermal air current. There were so many emails back and forth but the result was amazing, below is part of an email I received from her mother:

One of student's planes

"You have been helping our daughter for 'Wright Stuff' event and thanks to you, she did very well at the National Science Olympiad 2011, placing 6th out of 61 State teams from all over USA! 

As she might have shared with you, we had no idea about building planes, let alone flying them.  With your guidance and encouragement, we saw her confidence and enthusiasm soaring high and she became more and more determined to reach her goal- a 40 second flight. However, with each model she built and took your advise, she kept improving the model bit by bit, so last Sunday we saw a phenomenal flight of over 90 seconds- some in lieu to the air currents, as you explained to her.  But losing the plane did not dishearten her. She got back to work right away and came up with 2 near perfect models and an extra set of wings, and tail. We were able to get the tiny switches on the Thursday from DC. and that allowed her to use a penny weight on the plane.  She succeeded in getting the school gym time slot for flight practice and trimming on Thursday night.  Friday morning she left at 6:00am!

Every single piece of advise you gave, went with her to Wisconsin in her notebook. You were the first person she wanted to share the flight time with- after practice flights and final flights!  In short, Mr. Kuhl, you inspired and motivated a child to reach for the impossible from Winona and planted a passion that will benefit her for a lifetime! 

We are very grateful to you for guiding her, and appreciate everything you did for her. Thank you very much!"

Video of My Sample Plane Flying Outdoors

Getting the Gap Correct in Electric Motor Project

It appears so many students must be building the Build Simple Electric Motor project but I have to wonder if they are running into the problems that students had in my classes. The most common problem is not scraping the insulation off the wire well enough and the next problem is the gap between the outside of the coil and the top of the magnet.

For sure the gap cannot be so small that one side of the coil hits the magnet as it turns but if the gap is too large probably an 1/8" of an inch or more the motor will not run. Ideal would probably be about 1/16".

The gap is too small between top surface of magnet and bottom edge of coil, when the coil is completely vertical it will strike the magnet.

In this motor the coil magnet gap is too large and the motor will not run. Another shim under the magnet should fix the problem.

This gap was close enough for motor to run about 1/16" inch. It looks to be larger because the picture is so large.

Bill Kuhl

Be sure to check out the rest of my blog @ http://scienceguyorg.blogspot.com/

Neil Dennis "wombat"

Wombat - Neil Dennis  

I have known Neil Dennis for several years, he is known on the Free Flight Mailing List as “wombat”, this is where I first made contact with Neil.  Several years ago I came up with this idea to hold an online contest to design a beginners free flight rubber powered model airplane. To enter you had to send me files of the plans and a short article.  For a prize I offered some model airplane kits I had, I believe only three people entered and two students working together; I sent each one a kit. The results of this contest can be seen on this website:  http://customers.hbci.com/~bkuhl/contest.htm

I built each one of the designs to make sure they would fly, which they all did. Some of the entries were a little more advanced; Neil’s design which he calls the “Denny Dart” was really a true beginner’s plane. Funny thing was I was building Denny Darts with the wing on backwards but it flew just fine either way.  I have used this plane with a bunch of kids for model airplane building classes and it always flew well.

Since then Neil has come out with several variations of the Denny Dart that he gives a different “Mark” number to.  One of these was a plane with elliptical surfaces that are formed by bending balsa wood wet over a form. The resulting plane is light and stiff but it is a fair amount of work. 

Neil sells kits of the Denny Dart and he is also giving them away to kids.  He is such an ambassador of the model aviation hobby taking model planes everywhere he goes, even to the doctor’s office or when he goes to an auction.  Read more about Neil and the entries to the Design Contest from the link above.

 Elliptical Wing Denny Dart

Mass launch of Denny Dart II model planes

Bill Kuhl
http://www.ideas-inspire.com

Interesting People I Meet - Boaz Givon

In connection with my website and the activities, I meet some rather interesting people. Someone, I think it was Gary Hinze had mentioned on a model aviation forum that there was a company that would hold model airplane classes in schools. This really seemed amazing to me in that I find it difficult to find schools interested in model aviation demo's or classes even if done for free. Then I am not actively promoting this either, when I have done it, the request had come through word of mouth.  "The Hobby Quest" is the company that will teach these classes for a fee with teachers trained in this area.  The Hobby Quest

Boaz Givon had started The Hobby Quest and I had contacted Boaz by email and talked on the phone also. From what I can remember now Boaz was a teacher and the model aviation classes started out as a part-time activity that grew to the point he decided to take it on full time as a business. There are multiple locations now, it is best to read the details from The Hobby Quest website.

We exchanged some items, I sent Boaz some CD's I had created and he sent me some sample model airplane kits that his company markets. Some are rather unique in appearance, but all fly well. There was an electric powered free flight plane with a very interesting wing wing and fuselage shape. Another rubber-powered model plane looks like a flying letter "O".

Bill Kuhl
http://www.ideas-inspire.com

Picking the Projects for Website Part III

   As I had mentioned in an earlier post, YouTube videos have given me some inspiration in the subjects for project articles on my website. Inspiration has come from other places as well or personal interest.  None of the projects are a completly new idea but I always use my ideas to create a project that will be inexpensive and use materials that can easily be found.  This article is really good background into the basics of ideas, where to get materials, and tools needed. Types of ScienceProjects and Resources

Creating projects that can be constructed by the groups I teach to is a major consideration in the design. That is normally I must create kits of parts that require only scissors for cutting and can be assembled quickly. This normally means using hot glue guns for adhesive and the material to cut is either thin foam or cardboard. Other pieces I need to cut and drill before bringing to the classroom.

Several people have complemented me on being able to create projects out of what might appear to be junk or from what can be purchased at the grocery store and hardware store. To reduce cost I also scour dollar stores looking for useable material.  On the mousetrap car construction article I went as far as including pictures of where in a store you might find the required materials.

Mousetrap Car Construction Article

Teaching classes using my projects is a wonderful opportunity to see how kids do with the projects and what needs to be improved.  What I have learned is that it is possible for about anything to be broken. With all the experience I have had with delicate balsa model airplanes I have a more delicate touch by learning the hard way. The mousetrap car has been improved on in several ways since I started teaching that project.  For the last groups that built the mousetrap car the problems were less but sometimes the mousetrap would be broken.

Bill Kuhl
http://www.ideas-inspire.com