Craft takes flight

Ahmedabad: It can be rocket science, especially if you’re making models of a state-of-the-art aircraft to scale and not the traditional eight-fold flying object aimed at the class teacher.
Rajendra Grewal, a physicist from Mumbai University, goes the whole hog and teaches his students how to make cutting edge paper aircraft that can do a lot more than distract children.
Aviation aspirants can now take classes with the Mahim-based Paper Plane company, where they learn how to make paper planes accurate to the last millimetre and micro-precision gliders, among other things.
Aerogami, as it is called, uses paper of various grades and qualities for models that lift, dive and perform record-breaking stunts with just basic flying techniques. Each paper design has a different lift and reaction to thrust.
Earlier model planes used basic cutting and folding techniques. But during the 1980s, computer designed and laser cut frames for concept and replica planes took the craft to another plane.
Grewal’s classes give students a low-down on everything needed to make a paper plane fly. The demonstrations include the basics of folding and flying simple designs, ideal conditions for flight, basic trimming and tuning techniques but also stuff that a real pilot would learn.
“Our course teaches participants aerodynamics, aviation vocabulary, laws of motion, forces of flight, among other things.
The model variants cover classical, contemporary and cutting edge designs, which have won design awards at international air shows.
27/12/10 Bangalore Mirror

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Categories: New Dec 2010