Yuma CAP Squadron 508 Aerospace Education Blog

****Free drone operating online course from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. See link to register for this FREE course. It will be completed just in time for us to fly our quadcopter.

https://unmanned-aerial.com/embry-riddles-online-drone-class-free-open-public

Air Force secretary support A-10 wing upgrade to keep the Warthog flying

http://www.businessinsider.com/air-force-secretary-heather-wilson-wants-the-a-10-warthog-to-live-on-2017-12

Blue Origin Returns to flight.

https://www.theverge.com/platform/amp/2017/12/12/16759934/blue-origin-new-shepard-test-flight-launch-landing

****Blue Origin simulation video of more powerful rocket now in design/testing stage

https://www.theverge.com/platform/amp/2017/12/12/16759934/blue-origin-new-shepard-test-flight-launch-landing

French send 4 more navigation satellites into orbit from South American launch site. Navigation system competes with US GPS system.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/arianespace-sends-4-galileo-satellites-035139401.html

Now there is a UH-1 in development for autonomous supply delivery in combat areas.

https://www.yahoo.com/tech/autonomous-helicopter-completes-marine-resupply-032800201.html

Opportunity: The little Mars rover that could and still can

https://www.universetoday.com/138075/nasas-opportunity-rover-withstands-another-harsh-winter-mars/

**** Special Interest Links

CyberPatriot Competition continues with Round 2

Yuma CyberPatriot team completes round 2 of this year’s competition

The four members of the Yuma Squadron 508 CAP squadron completed the second round of CyberPatriot competition on Sunday, December10th. Several team members wore their newly- delivered CyberPatriot t-shirts to the meeting conference room. Round 2 included images from Windows 7, Windows 10, and Ubuntu 14 operating systems as well as a networking quiz developed by Cisco. The team used all but one minute of the six hours allowed for competition, thus saving themselves an overtime penalty. New, untrained subject matter was introduced in the Forensic Questions that required the team members to go the Internet to search for answers. This was a good exercise that reminded cadets to use all available, allowed resources.

Several teams apparently scored 100% unofficially at the national level. Overall though, most teams found the challenges in Round 2 were incrementally more difficult to identify and correct than Round 1. Preliminary and unofficial results for the Yuma team again showed them near the top third of teams in the All Services Division for Arizona. Official results should be in early next week.

Next, teams will be assigned to one of three tiers for the State Round of competition coming up January 19-21 based on their performance during Rounds 1 and 2. Yuma’s team will probably be assigned to the Gold Tier, the middle tier, for next month’s competition. Only teams in the Platinum Tier are eligible to go to the Nationals.

Monday, November 20, 2017

A Museum and a different kind of Boneyard for this retired Orthopedic Surgeon in CAP

Pima Air Museum and Davis Monthan Boneyard Visit

This past weekend eight cadets and two senior members from CAP Squadron 508 attended the wing-wide Aerospace Education field trip to two historic aviation sites. We set out in the van as the sun came up at 0700 on Saturday morning. To get to the museum we had a long drive of about 3 and a half in store for us. The highlight of the ride for our constantly hungry cadets the stop at In and Out Burger for an early lunch.

On arrival at the Pima Air Museum about 50 cadets and 10 senior members were quickly divided into groups of 8 to conduct self-guided tours of the museum. Well, that wasn’t quite true. Everyone got a printed sheet with questions to answer about 10 items to find around the museum. We never found out who won the challenge.

Getting organized for the museum tour

The museum had added several new buildings since my last visit about a decade ago. The satin-black SR-71 was one of my favorite indoor displays.

SR-71 on display

Other winners were the B-24, B-25, and B-29 series of bombers. I read a book recently by Amber Smith, an Army Kiowa combat helicopter pilot in Iraq and Afghanistan. It was shocking to see how relatively small her craft was with its distinctive wire-cutting appurtenances above and below the canopy. Also distinctive was the Mast Mounted Sight (MMS) located above the rotor blades.

Stock image of a Kiowa

The building dedicated solely to space exploration had models of the X-15, a Mercury space capsule, Saturn V booster, various remote Mars exploration landers and rovers, and a simulator for a lunar landing in the LEM (lunar exploration module to those of us old-timers who remember the Apollo moon landing era. There was not enough time to take it all in during the four hours that were allotted.

The majority of aircraft were parked outside protective structures. Rare examples of the B-36 six engine pusher bomber and the speedy B-58 Hustler competed for attention with various fighters, bombers, aerial tankers, and cargo hauler aircraft dating back as far as the 1950’s.

Is half of a B-36 a B-18?

Too young to remember- B-58 Hustler

The monoplane with counter-rotating props mounted up front probably tested the limits of imagination.

Is this an aircraft or something misplaced from Finding Nemo?

The specially modified B-52 with a specially designed pylon that lugged the X-15 into the flight levels before dropping it for rocket driven flight was parked in a restricted area away from the main display site. A dedicated building commemorated the B-17 and its courageous crews.

Not the X-15 carrier plane but still impressive

Business end of an F-18 Hornet Blue Angel

Cadets enjoyed a bouncy school bus ride to Ryan Airport in west Tucson. Dinner consisted of the ever popular Little Caesar’s Pizza. Camping out on a cold hangar floor was an experience for the cadets but not for me. I spent the night in a noisy motel, serenaded by the Southern Pacific Railroad and restless fellow travelers on the floor above me. At least I had a bed.

The next day we were treated to a private tour of the boneyard at Davis- Monthan Air Force base. We were admitted to a restricted area, off limits to public tours. The four types of handling aircraft receive was explained. We got up close and personal with a C-5 Galaxy. That aircraft is larger than life. I remember the distinct whine of their four engines as they flew over my home in San Jose, CA enroute to a landing at Moffitt Airfield.

C-5-Such majestic aircraft look forlorn out in the Arizona desert

The regeneration of aircraft and conversion to remote controlled iterations was explained as we visited a hangar with an F-16 undergoing maintenance. Under the skin, the lower portion of the fuselage looked like a giant series of computers while the upper half contained all the hydraulics that operate this fly-by-wire model. We also got up close and personal with a cadet favorite, the A-10 Warthog.

F-16 ready to pounce

A-10 needs no words

The trip home could have seemed long but was sped along by the humor of my copilot and the enthusiasm of our cadets. I applaud all the participants from our squadron who dedicated almost an entire weekend to this special activity. I am sure that those at the wing level will take notice of our interest and contribution.

Wednesday, November 15, 2017

Field Trip to Pima Air and Space Museum

For Pima Air and Space Museum/DM Bone Yard Field Trip Participants

Schedule:

Start Time/Date: Saturday November 18th Check-in 1130 Tour/Activity Starts at 1215
Location: Pima Air and Space Museum

Saturday Nov 18th

You should stop for lunch before you arrive. Lunch is also available for you to purchase at the Cafeteria at Pima Air and Space Museum. If you choose this option, please adjust your arrival time so that you are ready to begin at 1215. No outside food is allowed in the Museum. Water can be brought in.

Cadet Overnight Accommodations:

We have arranged for transportation from the Pima Air and Space Museum to a hanger at Ryan Airfield where we will have dinner, games, a movie, and spend the night.

Sunday Nov 19th

Reveille will be at 0630. From 0630 - 0815 we will have breakfast at the hanger, then head out (after packing and cleaning up) on a bus to Davis-Monthan AFB. DM has arranged a special interactive Boneyard and Base Tour for us.

End Time/Date: Sunday November 19th Check-out 1300
Location: Davis-Monthan AFB

Cadet Packing List:

1. 1 Extra BDU/ABU undershirt (t-shirts)

2. Physical Training Uniform, to include, plain knee length dark colored shorts, plain black t-shirt, socks and tennis shoes

3. Appropriate undergarments

4. Pillow

5. Sleeping bag

6. Sleeping mat or cot - This is NOT required but encouraged, we are sleeping in a hangar and the floor is cement.

7. Deodorant - No aerosols

8. Comb/Brush

9. Feminine hygiene products (If appropriate.)

10. Medications; prescribed and over the counter.

11. Flashlight

12. Current CAP ID

13. Canteen or Camelback

14. Sun block-a lot of the tour will be out of doors

15. Sunglasses

16. Cash for personal purchases at gift shop

17. Camera

Aerospace Education Links for November 2017

Aerospace Links for November 2017

United Launch Alliance Atlas V assembly for crew transport vehicle launch.

https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/boeing-builds-towards-first-space-160200267.htmlhttps://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/boeing-builds-towards-first-space-160200267.html

Giant gas planet found in orbit around a dwarf star. Scientists wonder how is this possible?

https://www.yahoo.com/news/massive-monster-planet-found-orbiting-puny-star-leaves-164600353.html

Biological affects of space flight in humans

https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/living-space-drastic-negative-effects-210000282.html

Orbital ATK makes it to space for first launch in many years

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/business/national-business/article181964996.html

*A random Hubble view-simply amazing

https://www.yahoo.com/tech/much-going-breathtaking-hubble-photo-could-stare-years-000355525.html

Plans need to be made for Hubble Space Telescope

https://www.forbes.com/sites/startswithabang/2017/10/18/the-hubble-space-telescope-is-falling/#51c62c2f7f04

A summary of a few of the discoveries by Cassini mission to Saturn

http://edition.cnn.com/2017/10/24/us/cassini-saturn-atmosphere-rings/index.html

Space X Heavy launch nears?

https://www.nextbigfuture.com/2017/10/spacex-falcon-heavy-should-launch-in-the-next-37-days.html

Curiosity drill bit bit

https://www.yahoo.com/news/nasa-something-curiosity-rover-never-could-planned-173815539.html

Paul Weitz 85, astronaut dies. He had the right stuff.

http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/10/24/559708915/astronaut-paul-weitz-dies-at-85-veteran-of-skylab-and-shuttle-missions

Controlled hypothermia an answer for the long trip to Mars?

https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/getting-living-mars-hell-body-170400776.html

Guessing when first Falcon Heavy will be launched by SpaceX from launch pad 39A

Unmanned Orion mission to the moon and back scheduled by NASA for October 2019

https://www.yahoo.com/news/nasa-orion-spacecraft-bring-humans-172358997.html

Rocket engine explosion during static test a setback for SpaceX

https://www.yahoo.com/news/spacex-merlin-rocket-engine-explodes-182235724.html

Launch pad preparations continue at pad 39A and pad 40 for accelerated SpaceX launch schedule

https://www.universetoday.com/137061/busy-space-coast-december-ahead-as-spacex-reactivates-damaged-cape-launch-pad-aims-for-year-end-maiden-falcon-heavy-blastoff/

Agenda for November AE squadron meeting

AE Agenda for Squadron Meeting 11/22/17

Assignment: For all cadets who have not already done so-reading for Saturn module of Model Rocketry, complete Saturn module quiz.

1850-1900 Aerospace Links

1900-1930 Video-Science of Flight

1930-1935 Break

1935-2035 Complete build Saturn module rockets, complete quadcopter build

Wednesday, November 1, 2017

Yuma Team 508 ready for first round of CyberPatriot competition

Round One is here!

The four members of Team 508 had their last training session last Saturday morning. They are primed and ready to take on round one of the competition. The first round includes images from two operating systems-Windows 7 and Ubuntu 14. There will also be a section sponsored by Cisco. Please join me in wishing the team well as they begin scored competition for the first time this Saturday morning. They have put in a lot of hard work beyond their usual Civil Air Patrol duties.