Prof. Iadevaia's Venus Transit 2012

In this short video Prof. Iadevaia shows 3 hours of the transit of Venus across the disk of the Sun in 3 minutes. He and Linda hosted a Venus Transit 2012 party. A good time was had by all at this once in a lifetime special event. Onward to 2117!

Prof. Iadevaia's Fun Flight

Sometimes even a professor has to have some fun! Here is a short video from around the 'hood. Toward the rising Sun is Sabino Canyon...to the north are the Santa Catalina Mountains...to the south, in the distance, is Mount Wrightson and Mount Hopkins, home of the MMT telescope.

Prof. Iadevaia and Annular Eclipse 20 May 2012

Prof. Iadevaia and Linda Proctor, take you on expedition to SP Crater near Flagstaff, AZ to view the 20 May 2012 annular solar eclipse. Using various cameras, telescope and appropriate filters they document the eclipse in video as well as still images. SP Crater is a cinder cone volcano about 7 miles in from highway 89. The eclipse was annular for about 2m13s. The approximate GPS coordinates for the observing site was 35.5762N and 111.571W. One experiment was not performed because of high winds. The HD video camera was not flown.It was a successful expedition and Linda, once again was a valuable assistant and photographer.

Prof. Iadevaia Shows a Safe Method to View the Sun with Binoculars

Prof. Iadevaia shows how to use a pair of binoculars and a tripod to view the Sun. With the upcoming Solar Eclipse and transit of Venus, this method will work very nicely. Never look directly at the Sun with either a telescope or binoculars useless the appropriate filters are used. This method is a projection method and is very safe.

Prof. Iadevaia Explains How a Motor Thrust Rig Works

Prof. Iadevaia demonstrates how the motor thrust rig shown in a
recent episode of Flite Test works. See Measuring Thrust
http://flitetest.com/articles/measuring-thrust/

There is more than enough info in this clip to build your own Motor
Thrust Rig.

Bixler Post Crash Test Flight

Prof. Iadevaia rebuilds the Bixler which crashed due to a wing failure. Although another plane is on order it was a good opportunity to take advantage of foam and its repairablity. The crushed nose was heated with a low setting heat gun and twisted back into shape. The crash compressed the nose by about 1/4 inch. The crushed plastic spar was replaced with an aluminum tube of the same length and diameter. This was the second flight but the first to be recorded from the "eyeglass cam". The plane seems to be OK and flys very nicely.

Bixler In Flight Wing Separation

The failure analysis by Prof. Iadevaia on how the wings separated from the fuselage resulting in the crash of Bixler during its 9th flight indicates that the spar did not fail in flight. The embaressing conclusion is that the rubber band that keeps the two wings sections attached was not replaced proir to flight. Here is a good teachable moment in the importance of a pre-flight check list. Watch the thought process that ultimately reveals the cause.

First Video Test of Mini DVR from Bixler

This is Prof. Iadevaia's first video from the Mini DVR Camera mounted on the Bixler. The mounting was also tested during this flight. This is the first stage of testing for the FPV system.

Prof. Iadevaia's Bixler Maiden Flight Post Kit Build

This is the maiden flight, post kit build of the Bixler by Prof. Iadevaia. Three flights were made and three successful landings on field occurred. In the post flight review the integrity of the construction is checked. Although a bit pitchy, the Bixler flys very nicely and experience by the pilot with the plane should correct that. The kit build was a success!

Prof. Iadevaia's Bixler Kit Build

Prof. Iadevaia selects a trainer RC plane in a kit form. The Bixler is a stable plane ideal for learning to fly RC planes. Using the construction as a lab portion of a college level Intro to Engineering course or as a project in a S.T.E.M. related science course, Prof. Iadevaia shows in depth step by step construction technique. For those new to RC flying and interested in building a kit, this video might convince you to select an RTF (ready to fly) version!

What you need to complete this project:

1 - motor BL-2216/6 2200KV
4 - 9g servos HK HTX-900
1 - 30 amp ESC BL-30A
1 - motor mount if you choose not to use the supplied one use Small Parts
CNC Easy Star motor mount
1 - 2.4 GHz 6 channel transmitter and receiver such as the Model FS-CT6B
1- servo Y cable
1- servo 6 inch extension
1 - 3S 2200mAh Lipo Battery

Also:

Solder, shrink tube, soldering iron, hand tools, servo tester, volt meter, extreme packing tape etc.

This is one example of how to assemble this kit. Use this method at your own peril. I will not be responsible for any problems you might have as a result of using this video guide,

Prof. Iadevaia's Poorman's Wind Tunnel

Using an ordinary house fan, Prof. Iadevaia shows how to use it as a poor man's windtunnel. YellowBird is suspended from the ceiling and its wings are in a sling over the plane's center of gravity. As the control surfaces are moved the plane responds.

Sonoran Desert Flyers

A typical Saturday morning at the Sonoran Desert Flyers' field at Naranja Park in Oro Valley, AZ. Video by Prof. David Iadevaia who is a member of the Sonoran Desert Flyers and the Academy of Model Aeronautics. Lots of physics and technology going on here! Check us out at www.sonorandesertflyers.us

What Was the Miracle of the Sun: An Astronomer's View

Professor Iadevaia gave the first lecture of the Pima College 2012 Distinguished Faculty Speakers' Series on 7 February 2012. The lecture was given to an anticipated audience of 40-60 people. The actual number of participates was 221. This is the raw video from the lecture and is about 50 minutes long. The lecture was about the unusual behavior of the Sun witnessed by over 30,000 people on 13 October 1917 at Fatima.

Yellow Bird Test Three

The importance of the CG (center of gravity) , the stiffness and alignment of the flight surfaces results in a properly flying plane. In this video clip Prof. Iadevaia shows the results of YellowBird's successful taxi, take-off, flight and landing after the repairs and modifications made from data acquired during the two previous tests. Of course, time spent on the flight simulator program didn't hurt!

The video camera performed just fine. The camera's pointing is a slight issue but can be corrected by tightening a small bolt. In conclusion YellowBird is a suitable platform for aerial video. It is stable.

Yellow Bird Test Two

This is a continuation of Prof. Iadevaia's experiments in imaging from altitude. This is the second test of Yellow Bird and the video camera. Abandoning the take off roll, I elected to use the hand launch method with camera mounted. Three successful flights were conducted and on board video was taken. Here are the results. Time to learn to fly a different type aircraft. It may be small but you still need basic stick and rudder skills!

Yellow Bird Test One

This is a continuation of Prof. Iadevaia's experiments in imaging from altitude. This is the first test of Yellow Bird and the video camera. The plane would not take off due to the inability to run straight during the take off roll. Pilot error, rough surface, small wheels or all of the above? I removed the camera and finally got the plane to take off. After minor repairs and alignment the second test was performed. Flying an RC plane is much different than the real thing...but now, for me, this is the real thing!

An interesting observation

An interesting observation made by Prof. Iadevaia on 7 Jan 2012 suggests that a disturbance in a moving medium does not result in a change of wavelength as a result of the moving medium but a distortion of the disturbance. The stream used for the experiment is found just above the Sabino Canyon Dam. It is wide and shallow with a constant velocity. The flow is laminar. Anyone have any ideas? Maybe a more controlled experiment would reveal what is happening. A curious result non the less.