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.