District IX
Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, North Dakota, South
Dakota, Wyoming
You might have seen this project featured on AMA Air a while back, but I thought you might enjoy hearing a little more about this project from Jake Marshall, aeronautics instructor at St. Vrain Valley School District Innovation Center in Longmont, Colorado.
“Pre-pandemic, a group of eighth-graders brought me an interesting idea. They wanted to create the largest possible RC airplane in the shape of the traditional all-paper airplane. This was in response to a popular Flite Test YouTube show showing an attempt that produced an RC paper airplane that measured 8 x 12 feet.
“I hear these crazy ideas from his students all the time, and, of course, I approved. These kinds of projects are not out of the ordinary at the Innovation Center, but this one included a long list of materials, a budget, and, by the way, it was sponsored by Boeing.
“The engineering process began in January 2020. Project lead was assigned to eighth grader Josh Bishop, who is now a freshman attending Skyline High School in the St. Vrain Valley School District. Josh is the brother of 2019 AMA Student Achievement Award winner Caleb Bishop, who is now attending Utah State, studying to be a pilot and aeronautical engineer. For his age, Josh has a stout background in CAD and engineering. After many hours, Josh worked out a prototype, reconfigured and scaled by—let’s just say, a lot.
“According to his design, the airplane would have a 14-foot wingspan and would be 18 feet long. Josh accumulated more than 250 pieces of Dollar Tree 20 x 30-inch foam board that was ready for laser cutting and got commitments for help from a small army of people. For a week straight, more than 20 aeronautical students assembled each piece to form the major fuselage elements.
“One design specification was that the wing had to be easily removed to gain access to the fuselage and its five motors, and to allow for taking it in and out of the building. Josh and his team can dismantle and reassemble this behemoth in a matter of minutes.
“After months of work, including COVID-19 shutdowns and getting back into classes in the fall of 2020,
the team announced the airplane flight-ready at the end of 2020.
“In February 2021, the day came for the launch. The team had engineered a trolley system to help the electric motors get it to airspeed. Unfortunately, that system was not up to the challenge and no recorded flight occurred. Now it hangs in a place of prominence in the school commons area. To see the attempted launch, go to our YouTube channel at www.
youtube.com/c/ICAeronautics.
“The Innovation Center transcends the traditional classroom and provides experiential opportunities that are developing today’s students into tomorrow’s leaders, innovators, and change-makers. In addition to rigorous extended learning and mentorship opportunities, students gain valuable experience through employment that focuses on designing and engineering technology solutions for industry and community partners.”
Jim Tiller
Vice President
jtiller@hotmail.com
Box 828, Custer SD 57730
(605) 390-3878
ASSOCIATE VICE PRESIDENTS
Craig Bastian, Casper WY; (307)577-6463; craigb1961@msn.com
Tyler Brown, Lincoln NE; (402) 617-0444; tylerxz9@yahoo.com
Steve Graham, Denver CO; (303) 883-0205; steve.graham1@comcast.net
Brandon Koch, Mandan ND; (701) 471-9575; kochbrandon471@gmail.com
Rick McCaskill, Frederick CO; (303) 682-0440; rickm1947@aol.com
Zachary Roller, Rapid City SD; (605) 519-0815; zroller28@gmail.com
Arend Schuurman, Elkton SD; (605) 695-2122; arend.schuurman@gmail.com
Terry Wiles, Harrisburg SD; terryscustom@yahoo.com
EVENT SANCTION COORDINATOR
Troy Hamm, Gardner KS; (913) 744-5745; funflyr@juno.com
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