The Best Free Flight Simulator

So after much research into flight simulators, I have come upon the best free flight simulator for the PC. It is called Flying Model Simulator, and it is based on the idea of flying model planes. The download can be found here. It comes with a few planes but the best planes can be found elsewhere. Here are downloads of my favorites.

P-51 D Mustang







Spitfire








Boeing 747

The Thankless Planes of WWII

Although I have never experienced flight in a P-51 D, I long for the day when I can climb through the clouds and skim the sea in my very own Mustang. There is a certain awe about the classic planes. They have a history in aviation that cannot be ignored. Their value to the world must be recognized. An English Spitfire or a Japanese Zero should be respected as some of these classics. A B-17 Flying Fortress should be respected for its service in countless missions over Germany and Italy.

I feel that today's society is so ensconced in engineering that we continue to forget the past. We continue to create fighters from the F-4 to the F-106 but I think the general populous is forgetful of the days of the P aircraft.

It seems to me that there would be something exhilarating about being in total control of the aircraft, and having nothing between you and the the passing mountains but a glass window and a stick. Believe it or not, there were days when all there was to control an airplane was the control stick , a hydraulics system, and the intuitiveness of the pilot. But, alas, it is no more. There are computers in every modern airplane that determine how the plane moves based on control stick input.

So remember and respect the days of the WWII aircraft, when there was only pilot skill maneuvering those old tin cans.

Flying Electric Wind Generators

With high energy costs and the need for a widely available, cost efficient, renewable energy source that will not pollute the environment, many have looked to wind power in recent years. Nearly all the attention to date has gone to ground-based wind systems. However, wind power is not strongest in lower altitudes, because of constant turbulence caused by irregularities in the Earth’s surface. Ground-based wind-harnessing systems create noise pollution, an undesirable characteristic in populated regions. Bird strikes are also a problem with current ground based wind-systems. Traditional ground based systems only harvest about 30% of available energy. High altitude wind, on the other hand, can be harvested at 80% availability at 30,000 ft. These high altitude energy densities contain the potential energy to power about 100 Earths.

A description of a promising high-altitude Flying Electric Generator (FEG) configuration is given by a team of authors led by Australian inventor Brian Roberts [1]. Though low altitude demonstrations have been performed, at present, such a craft has never been built and operated at high altitude. We propose to construct and fly a working model, small and somewhat simplified, but still able to generate energy at high-altitude, returning it in usable form to the ground.



1. Roberts et al, “Harnessing High-Altitude Wind Power,” IEEE Transactions of Energy Conversion, Vol. 22, No. 1, March 2007.

Adapted from "High-Altitude Flying Electric Generator Demonstration," BSA Troop 360, Manchester, CT, Ct Rivers Council

Fatigue and Fracture Mechanical Engineering

Here is a paper I wrote regarding Fatigue and Fracture Mechanical Engineering

Interview with Dr. Pettit

I interviewed Dr. Pettit, Fatigue and Fracture Mechanical Engineer, of Pratt & Whitney for a paper for my Aviation class.