The video is up. Check it out, give me feedback.
Here it is.
It may not seem like hours of work, but it totally was.
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Airframe Again (Again)
Airframe, while a fictional story, is one of the most educational books I have ever read. Since the book was written by Michael Crichton, I'm not that surprised. Most of the things I learned from the book dealt with aviation. I found out a lot about how planes operate, how they fly, and how the airplane industry works. Here's just a sample of what this book taught me.
Planes can lift off of the ground because of the shape of their wings. The top of the wing during takeoff is curved and the bottom is flat. This means that as the pane cuts through the air, the air must move faster over the top than it moves under the bottom, which creates a low pressure zone above the wing (according to Bernoulli's principle, an increase in a fluid's speed decreases its pressure). The low pressure above the wing gives the plane lift and allows it to leave the ground.
Lift is all well and good during takeoff, but do you really want to ascend forever? No. When a plane reaches its desired altitude, you want the wing to be almost completely flat on the top. So how do you start with a curved wing and end with a flat wing? Slats. Slats are pieces of the leading edge of a wing that can be deployed to increase the curvature of the wing. During takeoff, they would be in the "deployed" position to increase the pressure differential, and during the flight they would be retracted. These are typically only necessary for large commercial planes or jets that go really fast.
So what would happen if the slats were deployed mid flight? Ordinarily, they wouldn't. Suppose, however, that the plane underwent "uncommanded slats deployment." In this case, the slats would extend without warning, independent of the pilot's actions. If this were to occur, the plane's nose would tilt upwards and the plane would begin to ascend. An experienced pilot would either let the autopilot take over, which would allow the plane's computer to right the plane. If, for whatever reason, the autopilot wasn't working, the seasoned pilot would gently pull the joystick back until the plane was lever again, and would then begin the process of figuring out why the slats were deployed. The passengers might never realize that anything happened other than ten seconds of mild vibration.
If, however, and inexperienced captain was at the helm when the slats deployed, there could be disastrous consequences. The pilot would probably overcorrect after the initial rise, which would send the plane into a rapid descent. The pilot might then overcorrect again, sending the plane into another ascent. Until the green aviator realized he or she needed to throttle it back slowly, the plane would "porpoise," or follow a sine wave pattern of ascent and descent. At point eight Mach (a little over 600 miles per hour, a common cruising speed), these oscillations could throw people, baggage, and any unfixed objects all over the plane, which could result in injury or death.
That is but a portion of the knowledge I have gained during the reading of Airframe. What have you learned from your book?
Planes can lift off of the ground because of the shape of their wings. The top of the wing during takeoff is curved and the bottom is flat. This means that as the pane cuts through the air, the air must move faster over the top than it moves under the bottom, which creates a low pressure zone above the wing (according to Bernoulli's principle, an increase in a fluid's speed decreases its pressure). The low pressure above the wing gives the plane lift and allows it to leave the ground.
Lift is all well and good during takeoff, but do you really want to ascend forever? No. When a plane reaches its desired altitude, you want the wing to be almost completely flat on the top. So how do you start with a curved wing and end with a flat wing? Slats. Slats are pieces of the leading edge of a wing that can be deployed to increase the curvature of the wing. During takeoff, they would be in the "deployed" position to increase the pressure differential, and during the flight they would be retracted. These are typically only necessary for large commercial planes or jets that go really fast.
So what would happen if the slats were deployed mid flight? Ordinarily, they wouldn't. Suppose, however, that the plane underwent "uncommanded slats deployment." In this case, the slats would extend without warning, independent of the pilot's actions. If this were to occur, the plane's nose would tilt upwards and the plane would begin to ascend. An experienced pilot would either let the autopilot take over, which would allow the plane's computer to right the plane. If, for whatever reason, the autopilot wasn't working, the seasoned pilot would gently pull the joystick back until the plane was lever again, and would then begin the process of figuring out why the slats were deployed. The passengers might never realize that anything happened other than ten seconds of mild vibration.
If, however, and inexperienced captain was at the helm when the slats deployed, there could be disastrous consequences. The pilot would probably overcorrect after the initial rise, which would send the plane into a rapid descent. The pilot might then overcorrect again, sending the plane into another ascent. Until the green aviator realized he or she needed to throttle it back slowly, the plane would "porpoise," or follow a sine wave pattern of ascent and descent. At point eight Mach (a little over 600 miles per hour, a common cruising speed), these oscillations could throw people, baggage, and any unfixed objects all over the plane, which could result in injury or death.
That is but a portion of the knowledge I have gained during the reading of Airframe. What have you learned from your book?
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Airframe
Airframe, the book I chose for my independent reading assignment, shares a common theme with The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time: both are mystery novels. In both stories, the protagonist is trying to uncover some truth that is known to others. Both characters also encounter roadblocks aalong the way, though the reasons behind them are different in each book.
In Airframe, Transpacific flight 545 goes horribly wrong, leaving two dead and fifty-six injured. The protagonist, Casey Singleton, is tasked with finding out why this happened. The plane involved was made by the company that Casey works for, Norton Aircraft, and she needs to find out if there's something wrong with the plane before the company's new deal with China falls through. This is similar to Christopher's mission in Curious Incident, where he solves the murder of his neighbor's dog Wellington. Both characters are trying to solve mysteries involving a death, and both have people they know conspiring against them, trying to stop them from discovering the truth.
However, despite their many similarities, there are some major differences between the books as well. In Airframe, Casey is told to find the answer to the mystery. In Curious Incident, Christopher decides to solve the case on his own: no one is telling him to do so. Another difference is that Christopher's journey is not over when he solves the murder, as its solution is only a piece of a larger plot. When Casey solves her mystery, her story is finished. The importance of the mystery is different in both, as is the character's motivation to solve it.
While there are a few differences between the stories, they are more like than unlike. As they are both stories about solving a mystery, they share a similar story arc. They both have clues, red herrings, villains, and all the other things that make a mystery novel exciting. Airframe and Curious Incident are both thrilling detective stories.
In Airframe, Transpacific flight 545 goes horribly wrong, leaving two dead and fifty-six injured. The protagonist, Casey Singleton, is tasked with finding out why this happened. The plane involved was made by the company that Casey works for, Norton Aircraft, and she needs to find out if there's something wrong with the plane before the company's new deal with China falls through. This is similar to Christopher's mission in Curious Incident, where he solves the murder of his neighbor's dog Wellington. Both characters are trying to solve mysteries involving a death, and both have people they know conspiring against them, trying to stop them from discovering the truth.
However, despite their many similarities, there are some major differences between the books as well. In Airframe, Casey is told to find the answer to the mystery. In Curious Incident, Christopher decides to solve the case on his own: no one is telling him to do so. Another difference is that Christopher's journey is not over when he solves the murder, as its solution is only a piece of a larger plot. When Casey solves her mystery, her story is finished. The importance of the mystery is different in both, as is the character's motivation to solve it.
While there are a few differences between the stories, they are more like than unlike. As they are both stories about solving a mystery, they share a similar story arc. They both have clues, red herrings, villains, and all the other things that make a mystery novel exciting. Airframe and Curious Incident are both thrilling detective stories.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)