CAA Registration Impact on STEM Activities

[stu knowles]

Some time ago when the BMFA University , Schools Challenge was held at Elvington I was privileged enough to be a stand in pilot for some of the teams.

Some of the 'machines' constructed and entered by UK Universities were enough to make you wonder if the designer / builders had ever seen an aeroplane! Fair play to them all for trying but year on year, the silverware often made its way to Germany.

Then the Chinese arrived. Beautifully designed and constructed, Innovative, had clearly studied every aspect of the competition and had worked out the best way of gaining points in every element from initial design and best use of tech, to wringing every advantage out of the Pit Crews to save seconds and improve their score. To say that they wiped the floor with everyone would not be unkind.

The point of mentioning this is that if these results are extrapolated into the future, UK students and Future Engineers might rely on the odd Genius, The Germans take engineering education seriously but the Chinese are lining up to take over the world.

Over simplifying the situation - possibly, - but I don't think so

[kc]

I don't think it's "restricting aeromodelling access with the new laws " in any real way! Up to 250 grams is not covered by registration and just by completing the simplest of tests you could register. for heavier models. The fee of 9 pounds is regretable but youngsters ( and schools ) seem to have enough access to money to squander on far less desirable things. So all the fuss is about nothing really.

Don't get me started about the BMFA University and Schools Challenge! To be a BMFA member and not be allowed to compete in a competition that the BMFA promotes is appalling. It's the one form of aeromodelling competition that I WOULD enter if allowed. Presumably the thinking is that we older and experienced aeromodellers would sweep the board and humiliate the youngsters. If so then that would be a valuable lesson for them - experience counts. Of course it could go the other way and the youngsters trounce us old folk. Same lesson for us - youth and new ideas triumphed so give respect to those who deserve it and try harder next time.

Edited By kc on 08/01/2020 19:31:27

[kc]

Malcolms point is interesting and brings to mind an experience from the past. When I was at school in the 1950's there were 4 classes of 40 at each age and half were boys, so out of about 80 boys of my age there was 1 boy - I will call him X - who was considered the dimmest dunce of all. Perhaps now they would consider dyslexia or poor eyesight, but then just dim. So at age 15 X left school and some months later I went to the local timber yard to get some wood. To my surprise the manager called X over and told him to find the wood for me. To my greater surprise X instantly picked a suitable bit of timber and deftly operated the radial arm saw. Clearly the right man ( lad ) for the job. A few years later another trip for wood and X now seemed to be the chargehand, A few years on X seemed to be the foreman and later still the owners right hand man. Last time I went X was the manager running the whole yard. Would X have got the right job for him if there had not been woodwork lessons to find his talent? I expect this type of story occurred countless times back then. What happens nowadays to those whose talent is practical rather than academic?

By the way this was not in the town where I live now!

Edited By kc on 08/01/2020 20:00:53

[Andy48]

I have to disagree with much of what kc has written about schools, and practical subjects.

Firstly a lack of practical skills starts at home with the under 5s. How many children today of any age have any practical toys that encourage those practical skills, with the exception of Lego.

Secondly the world of work is very different today with automation having taken over many jobs. Now a metalworker needs the technical skills to work a cnc lathe rather than the practical skills.

Thirdly education is not about teaching a skill for life (or about training more teachers), but equipping young people to handle a variety of occupations during their working life. As an example I wonder how many opportunities there are in the world of work today for practical technical drawing skills using a pencil and paper?

Next consider how much else has been crammed into an already crowded curriculum, with everybody and their dog believing schools have a magic wand that can deliver everything anybody suggests and make experts of every pupil in next to no time.

Finally to suggest schools have plenty of money is surely fantasy land.

[Terry Tippett]

To get back to the beginning of this thread it is possible to run a school model aircraft project without registering with the CAA. The project must simply keep the model weight under 250 grams.

You can see a possible design on page 33 of the norcim website. There are tiny cameras that could easily be Velcro on to the model.