Second chances

At the last group design meeting we all decided that the SJSU students would build a second propeller. They'll come up with a different design optimized for slightly different conditions and then we'll have another choice come test days.

The students spent the weekend working on test templates and practicing foam cutting. They are sharpening their hands-on skills on this cheap foam in preparation for the more expensive Spyder foam.

Their first task after this practice will be to make a test prop section about 2ft long with twist, taper and a spar. They will glass and sand this section as if it were part of the final prop. This test section will give them experience with every aspect of the construction and then they can go after the final product.

Here's a few shots of the guys cutting, shaping and sanding the test templates.

Here they are hot-wiring out some foam.