Extreme rubber-band airplanes

[Ray Dunakin]

Here's an interesting short video about a guy in Japan who builds and flies record-setting rubber-band powered indoor airplanes:

http://vimeo.com/118981171

[finescalerr]

That guy is very cool. Somebody should buy him a ticket to the nationals and do his legwork for him. I was disappointed when he mentioned there are no kids in his hobby. -- Russ

[billmart]

A story that is inspiring but also sad.  Thanks for posting this one Ray.

Bill M.

[TRAINS1941]

That guy is very cool. Somebody should buy him a ticket to the nationals and do his legwork for him. I was disappointed when he mentioned there are no kids in his hobby. -- Russ

Reminds you of no kids into model trains or for that fact any kind of modeling!!!

Jerry

[finescalerr]

Yes but with a difference. I have more choices than that poor guy. I don't care whether model trains (or cars, planes, ships, etc.) continue or disappear from commercial production because people always will scratchbuild models of some kind, even some young people. And if nobody else ever again built a model I still could get the urge, find construction materials, finish the model, and put it on a shelf to enjoy. Our models are like paintings. Ours is ultimately a more practical and perhaps even gregarious hobby. -- Russ

[Allan G]

I belong to several model airplane clubs and there is constant talk and effort to get kids interested in the hobby.....to no avail. Kids are "obviously" more interested in their iPads, etc. Allan

[finescalerr]

Most kids ... not all. You just have to inspire the right one. -- Russ

[Lawton Maner]

Of course it might help if public schools would restore shop classes and not think of them simply as specialty classes to be tough in trade schools. 

When a child comes home with a shop project, hands it to his parents, and says "I made this" his self esteem is boosted higher then the social promotions we get with the dumbed down grading system in American school today. In my local high school a failing grade is 50%. Simply going to class and staying off the detention list will get you there.

Teaching manual skills in school is a lot like the Biblical Proverb about teaching a man to fish rather then feeding him. The skills learned in shop classes follow us through our entire life and give us the confidence to reach further and do better. I am willing to bet the engineers and craftsmen who biult and flew the International Space Station didn't learn how to design and build it playing an Xbox.

Turning the soap box off now.

[lab-dad]

Yep!
You outta try teaching a skill these days.
90% have absolutely no mechanical common sense.
More importantly 90% don't want to work, I can not fathom why someone would not to learn a high demand and high paying career.
Much less show up to a class 50 - 80% of the time and do nothing.
This is why I drink so much....

I have no idea who is gonna fix my shit when I get to old to do it...............

Mj

[Mr Potato Head]

I have a book somewhere..... called "Peanut Power" about ultra lite rubber band planes, it's so interesting I'd love to try it some day
MPH

[Allan G]

A good start would be what Lawton suggests. Bring back some of the shop courses that teach hand/eye skills and often deliver a special form of success. Probably not likely to happen when you consider even ART and/or MUSIC have been dropped from many programs.

[finescalerr]

My sister taught a showbiz class in public school for several years. It included acting, comedy, maybe some song and dance. The problem wasn't getting kids to take the class. It was getting them to stick with something long enough actually to do it. If she suggested they practice they would rebel and ask why that should be necessary. Finally my sister quit teaching. She said it was pointless when the kids demanded instant gratification. (She also said they're illiterate and their parents ain't any better.)

Given today's cultural decay and the attitude of kids, it seems seems optimistic.to hope to inspire even one in two thousand to hone modeling skills, learn piano, aspire to dance like Fred Astaire, or memorize a standup comedy routine.

Not everybody is a hopeless case; just most!

Russ

[Lawton Maner]

Ah yes!  Instant gratification. 

I have teased the blood technician at my Oncologist's office that with the centrifuge in her lab, she can get instant DNA results just like they do on CSI: Miami!  As a TV culture, where most life threatening events are solved or cured in 1 hour or less, the young (and most of their parents) do not have the patience required to actually do something.

I have a cousin whose children do not want to go to their Grandfather's cabin in West Virginia,because they cannot play with their #$%^&* electronic toys.
We made do with our imaginations and occasional large cardboard box for fun.  There is hope though, the youngest would rather be out in the garage surrounded by the parts of an old car then squinting at a postage stamp sized screen any getting early trigger thumb from pushing pinhead sized buttons.

[NE Brownstone]

My dad told me about those planes years ago.  They even have some that are fly powered.  It's amazing how slow it moves.  Almost like slow motion, until you see the guy rolling around in his wheel chair at normal speed.

I used to train people how to use a hammer.  Seriously, a hammer.  The last place I worked was a precision sheet-metal fab shop and we had to hire people off the street because there wasn't any community college that had a sheet-metal program.  Most people off the street do not know how to use a hammer properly.  Luckily, some caught on and became good workers.  Others, either quit, or got fired.  We'd get maybe 2-3 out of 100 that were worth a crap.  Part of it was the "I don't care attitude".  We had a very basic math test that most couldn't pass and on one occasion a girl used her cell phone to call a friend to get the answer.   

Sadly, the Industrial tech and engineering students from the local (non-community) college weren't much better.  They all wanted to start in managerial positions, without any experience.

[Mr Potato Head]

I went to Design school, my first job was to create a wood window catalog for an OLD SCHOOL wood window company in 1976, there was no CAD just good old fashion line drawings. They wanted me to learn the complete business in order for me to completely understand their product. I started at the bottom first "Sticking" lumber so it could dry correctly, then milling stock, gluing table using urea resin base electrode activated glue ( very enjoyable smell) tenoning table for the joints, so you get the idea, OLD School manufacturing. I thought it was a waste of time, but I learned a trade from it. I later worked for a large window manufacturer who used the novel NEW principle of cross training every employee. So it came around full circle, I think in High School if you can't score high enough on standardized testing you should learn a trade so you'll be prepared for life. And oh yea learn how to make change! just in case you work at McDonald's
MPH