Since our last update
a massive amount has changed, not just to the plane itself, but the greater
impact it will have on a wider range of young people in Bristol
The build managed to
get to a stage where the construction manual, parts diagrams, part location
manual and common sense just didn’t work together!! We spent quite a long time
ensuring that all the parts necessary for the next chapter of the build were
ready and to hand before we started.
This chapter of the
build is all based around the cockpit and includes not just the foot brake and
rear flap controls, but the elevator joysticks, turning controls and… a thin
wooden floor! The main cockpit structure was delivered pre-welded, so all we
have to do in effect is kit out the space inside. There are thousands of
different parts which all go together in a particular way to make the aircraft
fly correctly so we needed to make sure we got it right!
Some of the parts were really tricky to put together however we rose to
the challenge. Students used their knowledge of engineering tools and processes
to accurately measure, mark out and fabricate some of the special small bespoke
pieces, whilst others simply had the pleasure of bolting together individual
components like a Lego kit!. As well as creating the rudder and brake pedals,
we have now recently started to manufacture the control sticks which make the
plane go up, down, left and right in the air. These are very important parts
and as such, we are taking our time to make sure things go perfectly.
The other main
development is that the weekly extended learning sessions are to be… extended!!
We have come to realise that an hour a week is just not feasible, so, every
Fortnight on a Tuesday, our students will start the build at 12.35pm and have a
full five and a half hours to concentrate on the build until 6.00pm! This will
also allow our partner school, The Orchard school, to bring their students down
and have a much longer build session than before. The new longer sessions will
start every Tuesday week B in the new year.
