Campbell, California Since 1999
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Two former NASA engineers make aerodynamics fun for kids By Moryt Milo Two retired NASA engineers are helping young boys and girls discover the joys of model airplane building and their efforts may even inspire a few to reach for the stars. Lou Young and George Xenakis are teaching children how to build rubber band powered glider airplanes at the Moreland-West San Jose Community Center, 1900 Fallbrook Ave., on the western edge of Campbell On Monday evenings, planes as light as feathers and as silent as gentle breezes circle the community center's ceiling, while children and adults beam over their aeronautic accomplishments. "It amazes me how the kids watch their airplanes throughout the whole flight, following them around the gym until they land on the floor," says the 69-year-old Young, who has been building model planes since childhood. "It troubles me to see so many children who have never built anything in their lives and have never held a tool." Too many of today's youth are used to mimicking three-dimensional objects on a computer screen or by playing video games, he says. But building a model airplane gives a child a true perspective of the real world. A youth sees something he or she created with his or her hands turn into a success and it's rewarding. One of the children participating in the program is 11-year-old David Frazer, who started building model airplanes a year ago after bringing a flyer home from school. "The flyer sounded interesting and I wanted to do it," he says. "I've built eight planes. It's fun to build something and watch it fly." His interest also triggered his sister's curiosity, and 9-year-old Sammy Frazer decided she wanted to build models, too. "I kept looking over my brother's shoulder to see what he was doing," she says. "I made my own original design called a flying elephant and it flew for seven seconds."
Xenakis smiles as Sammy speaks and notes some of the best flyers are girls. "They aren't as heavy-handed and are more meticulous with their designs," he says. Although building a model requires patience and can be a bit painstaking, most children are quickly gratified. In one evening a child can build and fly a starter model called the Delta Dart, which is made out of lightweight balsa wood and delicate tissue paper. The plane has a plastic propeller and is powered by a tightened rubber band. "The basic kit teaches the children about aerodynamics in a fun way," Young says, "and they become curious and want to build more complicated models or create their own original designs." The latter is something Young and Xenakis encourage because it helps develop a child's critical thinking skills and teaches them to apply math. Building a model applies these skills in a practical manner, and children show a greater interest, the men say. "Problem solving is a natural extension of the hobby and why we encourage children to come up with their own designs," Young says. "It also helps a child develop patience and organizational skills, which are critical tools throughout life." The whole idea of building something that's never been done before is a major element in the model airplane industry and why so many individuals in the aerospace and engineering professions enjoy the hobby, Young notes. But it starts with exposure and by introducing children at a young age, ideally between the ages of 8 and 10. The hobby also offers various contests for youth and adults sponsored by the NASA Ames Research Center and the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA). Scott Strutner, a 12-year-old student attending The Harker School, won fourth place in the April 2002 contest with his original Delta Dart design and enjoys flying his plane Monday evenings. The April event hosted 17 children from throughout northern California, who participated in a contest using original model airplane designs, and competing to see which planes stayed in the air the longest. The contest had various divisions and design categories.
Although building a model airplane and entering it in a contest might sound intimidating and only for those of rocket science caliber, Xenakis says if a child enjoys building planes from a kit, it becomes natural for the youth to want to experiment with the basic supplies and create something different. The supplies used in current models are so light and advanced in composition that long-time model builders like Campbell resident Jim Boes was thrilled. Boes started building models at age 10 and says, "My father built a couple of models during World War II, but they never flew because they were too heavy. If they stayed up 20 seconds it was a miracle." Today modelers use Mylar, very fine tissue paper, advanced plastic materials and the lightest balsa wood available, which enable planes to stay in the air for more than 45 minutes, after being wound by a rubber band motor. Planes like the E-Z Penny Plane, which weighs only three grams and is extremely fragile, still manages to somehow withstand major crashes into ceilings and walls. When a propeller breaks or a rubber band snaps the men are right there to help the children fix the problem. The older men who fly along side the young children also encourage the youth to try building different designs. One man, Lee Kiracofe, sells model kits during Monday flight sessions. The basic Delta Dart kit only costs $1. "We really want to encourage more children to come and experience the fun," Young says. "Those starting out will find that it isn't an expensive hobby." Young and Xenakis feel so strongly about the wonders of airplane modeling and what it offers that the men have volunteered their time teaching in middle school woodshop classes and teaching a youth model airplane building elective class at the community center. San Jose Recreation Program Specialist Mary Horani says, "Not everyone is into sports and this is a non-traditional use of the gym. The light-airplane model flying sessions and classes provide another outlet." The community center is owned by the Moreland School District and the city of San Jose and classes are open to youth in Campbell, San Jose and surrounding communities. It was the experience of building models that led Xenakis and Young into their professions of aerodynamics. But Young notes not everyone who builds model airplane is an engineer or scientist. The hobby also attracts artists, actors and playwrights, he says. Each year Young and Xenakis hope to find a few more children who will share their love of modeling and continue enjoying it throughout their adult lives. "Model building carries over into whatever a child does later in life," Young says. "Making something work is the key to the products people need, and it's what advances our knowledge." And he leaves those curious about the silent flyers with this thought, "The nine people who had their names on the patent for the Mercury spacecraft—[the United States' first manned space program]—were all model airplane builders." Model Airplane sessions in the summer are every Monday night at the Moreland-West-San Jose Community Center, 1900 Fallbrook Ave., 6:30-9:30 p.m. Walk-ins are welcome. For more information about fall class registration, call 408.871.3820. |
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