Discover the expert in you.
Discover the expert in you.
If you're planning on making a small rocket from aluminum foil, one thing that you're going to need to do is think about both the base and the fins for the rocket. Make a small rocket from aluminum foil with help from an experienced crafts expert in this free video clip.
Cats have peculiar eating habits. Some fiend for dollar-store dry food and turn their noses up at pricey organic chow. But more peculiar is indulging in household items such as paper, plastic, fabric or even rubber bands. This tendency, called pica, can range from harmless to life-threatening.
Making obtuse paper airplanes will require just a few basic adjustments in your normal building routine. Find out how to make obtuse paper airplanes with help from a crafts expert with an extensive and impressive background in this free video clip.
The different shapes of paper airplanes all affect the flight capabilities of those airplanes in different ways. Find out about the different shapes of paper airplanes with help from a crafts expert with an extensive and impressive background in this free video clip.
Paper airplanes that resemble birds are crafts projects that your kids will go nuts for. Find out how to make paper airplanes that resemble birds with help from a crafts expert with an extensive and impressive background in this free video clip.
Not all materials are going to work equally well for paper airplanes. Find out what materials work best for paper airplanes with help from a crafts expert with an extensive and impressive background in this free video clip.
Scientific experiments on paper airplanes are actually a great, fun crafts project to do with your kids. Get tips on scientific experiments on paper airplanes for kids with help from a crafts expert with an extensive and impressive background in this free video clip.
Making paper airplanes that are shaped like a skinny dart is a great way to make sure that they fly as far and as quickly as possible. Make paper airplanes shaped like a skinny dart with help from an artist and craft expert in this free video clip.
Paper airplanes don't have to be made out of regular notebook paper any longer. Make paper airplanes out of cardboard for fun and wild results with help from an artist and craft expert in this free video clip.
Just because you're putting your hair into rubber bands and a ponytail doesn't mean you won't look cool. Learn about cool ways to put your hair in rubber bands and a ponytail with help from a freelance hair and makeup artist in this free video clip.
Controlling an RC servo only requires the right tools and a very particular technique. Control an RC servo with help from a longtime RC aircraft aficionado in this free video clip.
Your RC helicopter may start to spin in a counterclockwise direction for a number of different reasons. Find out why your RC helicopter keeps spinning counterclockwise with help from a longtime RC aircraft aficionado in this free video clip.
Not all types of servos are going to go well with your particular model of RC aircraft. Find out how to decide which servo to use for your RC airplane with help from a longtime RC aircraft aficionado in this free video clip.
Not all types of epoxy are going to go well on an RC aircraft. Find out what kind of epoxy you need to use on an RC aircraft with help from a longtime RC aircraft aficionado in this free video clip.
Styrofoam RC aircraft need to be cleaned in a very particular way for the best results. Clean a Styrofoam RC aircraft with help from a longtime RC aircraft aficionado in this free video clip.
Parachute pants are a style of trouser made of nylon material that are loose in fit. Find out more about parachute pants with help from an American heiress and model in this free video clip.
Rocket stoves aren't the height of technology, despite their name. These simple wood-combustion chambers were designed as safer alternatives to open cooking and heating fires in the Third World. Enthusiasts build them in a wide range of sizes and from a variety of materials. The one thing they all have in common is their ability to burn very warm on less fuel than a conventional fireplace. These homemade stoves are not generally recommended for home installation, but are very popular in backyards and outbuildings. If you've built your rocket stove from the ground up, venting it will be a cinch.
A porch glider is much like a porch swing, but the seat is mounted to a fixed base instead of hung from a joist. Some gliders are attached to the base with a chain, while others use a pivoting arm to create the gliding motion. The base is comprised of two identical end pieces connected under the seat with a system of cross braces. If you already have a swing or bench to use, you need only make the base for a porch glider and install the seat to the base.
One thing that sets apart an expertly crafted scale RC airplane model is the level of detail with which you finish it. A model with flat colors and a lack of realistic detail can look amateurish. Finishing your scale RC plane with the appearance of rivets, aging and other details, on the other hand, will reveal your passion for careful craftsmanship.
Nothing's more frustrating than constructing a kite, only to watch it blow apart in a good, stiff wind. Build a kite using superior materials, to ensure it will hold up in the most challenging weather conditions. Balsa wood, grown primarily in Ecuador, is lightweight and very strong -- the perfect material for a kite frame. Silk paper is made with silk fibers interwoven with paper, so it will not rip easily and makes an excellent sail for a kite. Create a kite with silk paper and balsa wood that will last through years of kite-flying fun.
You can build your own hang glider with plumbing and sailing supplies. A hang glider must support your weight and stay aloft until you are ready to land. That means you have to make sure your glider is sturdy enough to withstand shifting winds and rough landings. You can build a hang glider with PVC pipe and canvas if you take your time and make sure all fittings are tight and permanent. Plan your glider carefully so you can soar with confidence.
The muyuan, or wooden kite, is believed to have been invented by the Chinese and was used for everything from fishing to delivering messages over enemy lines during wartime. For such an historic item steeped so richly in Chinese history, it only seems appropriate that the lion would be emblazoned on the wings of kites, for it too has long been part of Chinese culture. Many millennia later, there are numerous different kite styles that delight children, and you can make one from everyday, inexpensive household items and create some quality family time together, both indoors and out.
You want a model plane, and your first impulse might be to buy a kit. In fact, though, it is easy and fun to make your own plane using balsa wood. This lightweight wood, available in hobby stores, makes a good material for your model airplane. Making a model airplane relies on trial and error, so once you build it, you'll want test it out and see what you need to change or tweak.
Weight and balance are critical components of model aircraft design. Radio-controlled planes, capable of flight, must be precisely balanced or aerodynamic properties will be compromised, making the plane highly unstable in flight. Model planes, designed strictly for display, must be correctly weighted so the aircraft will hang properly when suspended in the air.
Your GE washer door is sealed with the help of a "rubber band." This band is actually a large circular gasket that fits in the doorway of the washing machine. If your washer door isn't sealing properly, you likely have a bad rubber seal. Instead of spending a lot of cash hiring a repairman to fix the problem, you can do so yourself in a matter of minutes.
Controlled from the ground with a transmitter, radio-controlled model airplanes are easily damaged during hard landings. Airplane wings have a specially shaped leading edge that produces the necessary lift needed to keep the plane aloft. If damaged, the wings must be identically duplicated for the plane to retain its aerodynamic abilities. To properly reproduce a damaged RC airplane wing, a mold must be made from a template of the original wing design.
RC helicopters fly through the air and perform stunts based on instructions from the joystick and controls on the remote. If you damage the remote beyond repair, you can use a new one that matches the same frequency as the receiver attached to the helicopter. The receiver controls the servos in the helicopter that rotate the gears, making the helicopter blades spin.
A telescope mounting normally includes controls for making fine adjustments to the angle of the scope. There are generally two controls: one for altering the vertical angle and one for controlling the rotation of the scope on the tripod, the latter known as the azimuth. If your tripod doesn't have a fine-control dial for adjusting the azimuth, you can add a worm gear from a musical instrument machine head to actuate a standard swivel bracket.
In the early 17th century, Galileo Galilei pointed his telescope into the heavens and made note of heavenly bodies such as Jupiter and the rings of Saturn. Telescopes have come a long way since those earliest telescopes from Europe. These optical instruments eventually evolved into the gigantic telescopes sitting in observatories at the apexes of mountains and volcanoes such as Mauna Kea in Hawaii. Astronomers and scientists have even placed their creations out in space to complement the data provided by their earth-based telescopes. Despite the convenience of ground telescopes, they do feature a few drawbacks that space telescopes don't…
Using the wrong client to download music to your computer could result in a device that is consumed with viruses and malware. Both Blubster and MP3 Rocket provide access to many music files online, but the way they go about it differs. Before downloading one or the other, you need to understand exactly what you are getting into.
Angry Birds is a game that has become very popular on many smartphones and tablets. In the game, you launch birds out of a slingshot with the intention of destroying pigs within structures on the screen. As you progress through the game, you gain levels and special abilities. Golden eggs are also strategically placed; when hit with the slingshot, they give extra the player additional abilities or open a new level. The golden egg on the makeshift rocket screen is easily obtained with a little practice.
Adventure-seekers can combine a love for speed with the freedom of flying with a kite trike buggy. Basically, stripped down go-karts where the rider holds a large parachute, kite trike buggies allow riders to power through a variety of terrain while being pulled around as the wind blows the parachute every which way. Add extra power to your kite trike buggy by attaching it to a paramotor, which is essentially a large fan that sits behind the trike buggy seat to propel the machine on the ground as well.
Many people make a classic paper airplane out of a white sheet of 8 ½-by-11-inch paper, but others make it just as easily out of thin cardboard, such as one side of a manila file folder or an 8 ½-by-11-inch side from a cereal box. Just like a paper airplane, this cardboard airplane will fly, because the aerodynamics are the same, even though cardboard is slightly heavier than paper. Just as with actual airplanes that utilize the aerodynamic principles of the bird’s wing to create flight, paper or cardboard airplane wings enable the air to flow farther over the upper…
The design of a hot-air balloon allows you to use any lightweight material, including tissue paper, to form the balloon. A properly formed tissue-paper balloon will fly while handling a surprising amount of weight. Start small, creating simple balloons for your first try and then invest in larger balloon patterns once you feel comfortable with your balloon crafting skills.
Though magnetic actuators for model airplanes can be bought at most national hobby and craft retailers, many hobbyists might find that they can save several dollars by fashioning actuators at home. Even novice hobbyists should easily be able to complete an actuator in a short amount of time -- a few hours at most -- with only a few tools. The finished project should look like simply a copper coil, wide enough in the center to accommodate the rudder magnet of a model plane.
Most objects placed in water or air do only one of two things: Fall or rise. Without intervention, objects generally display either positive or negative buoyancy. Humans have been dissatisfied with these limitations ever since man started dreaming of controlled flight and underwater journeys. Neutral buoyancy, in which a flying or floating craft neither rises nor sinks but remains in a state of equilibrium in air or water, was on the agenda of experimenters and adventurers alike for centuries. In modern times, neutral buoyancy has come to fruition primarily in two craft: blimps and submarines.
The Avistar 40 trainer is designed for beginners in the hobby of radio-controlled, or RC, flying. Not only is it a versatile but stable aircraft due to its overhead wing design, but by attaching the wings to the fuselage with rubber bands, Hobbico has built a plane that is less prone to damage during those rough landings. Once an RC pilot begins to feel more confident in his abilities, though, he might want to redesign the wings for a more permanent attachment via wooden dowels.
Incorrectly tying the string to a kite can result in you losing the kite. Not just any string works for kites. It’s best to use strong string made specifically for kites. Weak string can snap on windy days, sometimes resulting in the loss of the kite. A good, tight knot will hold the kite string in place. You may need to attach a string if the old one is worn out, tangles or the kite is new.
The Chinese invented kites almost 2,500 years ago, and their mythology includes stories of the stately and proud nature of dragons. In order to celebrate the Chinese New Year, crafters can create their own dragon kite out of common household materials. Parents and instructors can help their children build a dragon kite to teach them the mechanics of flying and let them use their imaginations to create a unique design.
Combustion requires both oxygen and fuel. If the amount of oxygen present is greater than what the fuel needs to burn, the surplus is called excess air. For a boiler, a certain amount of excess air is desirable to maximize the boiler's efficiency. Too much excess air, however, can actually decrease efficiency because the surplus air carries away heat in the exhaust. The ideal amount of excess air is determined empirically, although you can calculate the amount of excess air you are using based on the type of fuel.
Transit is the common name for a simple theodolite with a telescope that moves 180 degrees on its axis. Transits have less precise magnification and measuring units than theodolites with features such as scale magnification and micrometers. These devices are often found on construction sites since they are used to measure an angle on the horizon or vertical plane. As the name implies, the striding level helps obtain a level line of sight for the transits and is instrumental for older models that lack the electronic measuring systems used in modern theodolites.
Building a kite offers an activity that both adults and children can enjoy together. Once you have built the kite, you and your child can fly it together as well. While a single-lined kite is a more well-known type of kite, especially when handmade, a two-handed kite offers an additional challenge. Most two-handed kites feature a different shape than a traditional diamond kite and require two strings running from the kite to the ground for better control of kite movement.
Air Hog is the brand name of company that manufactures indoor toy remote control vehicles, including cars, planes and helicopters. The fly bar is a plastic piece that is mounted on Air Hog RC helicopters. It is responsible for helping to balance the helicopter as it flies and to help control backwards and forwards pitch and rolling maneuvers. If the plastic piece is bent or cracked, it will negatively impact flight of the Air Hog. Replacing the fly bar is the most efficient way of repairing it. Air Hog helicopters air bars are typically attached to the propeller via a…
Foil kites represent a relatively easy way for children to build their own kites. If your child has a rip in his foil kite, you can replace the foil on the kite and have it up and flying once again. When you replace the foil on the kite, you need to secure it to the crossbar with string. Using a sewing pattern can ensure that the foil is secure. You don’t have to be a crafts expert to repair your kite. You can do it yourself with little hassle.
In the context of aviation, aircraft, and gliders, an offset is the amount of trim built into the control surfaces. Trim is a micro-adjustment of control surfaces used to keep the aircraft flying straight and level without any control input. If the trim is off, then continuous control inputs may be required to keep the aircraft flying straight and level. The trim cannot be changed in flight and can only be updated or changed when on the ground, as there are usually no cockpit controls for trim in gliders. Instead, trim is adjusted with bendable tabs on the control surfaces…
Fighting kites have a long tradition, reaching back to feudal-era Japan. Over the centuries, the basic components and designs of these kites have changed very little. Modern fighter kites often use carbon fiber spars instead of bamboo and often make use of complex mathematics to draw out every iota of potential, but they still follow one of a small number of basic plans. The buka kite is one such basic form.
When you make something from scratch, the feeling you get from showing it off or using it yourself is that much more rewarding. Sure, you can buy a rocket, but the difference is much like that of store-bought food and home cooking, because pride is the best seasoning of all. The main thing you'll need when making your mold is patience. It takes awhile for the plaster to dry, and patience will be your best friend throughout this process.
Thousands of hobbyists enjoy flying remote control--or RC--planes and helicopters. Learning to maneuver and control these airborne craft, such as the E-Flite BCPP. As a result, cord trainers were created to help RC users learn to better control and learn how to fly. The training cord connects to one port on the flyer and then another port on the handheld radio controller. These cords can be built from cables with standard female audio ends connected to them.
For people who enjoy working at great heights or jumping out of airplanes, parachute rigger jobs might be an ideal career. Parachute riggers are often hired by the U.S. armed forces to ensure that parachutes are packed and secured safely for military personnel. However, these professionals are also employed by parachute schools, parachute rigging and supply companies, and survival equipment manufacturers. Average salaries for parachute riggers working in the military are supplemented with benefits including tuition reimbursement, paid training and health-care insurance.
A successful paper airplane maintains stability during its flight and glides well over a distance. The size and shape of its wings, particularly the main wing, affects its performance. A lightweight plane with large wings glides well but travels slowly, while heavier planes with smaller wings travel more quickly and cover larger distances.
