Today was the culmination of weeks of work. We had Nate's Cub Scout Space Derby today. Each father/son team makes a balsa-wood rocket that's powered by a propeller and rubber bands. When you see a rocket that's a perfect replica of the space shuttle and the kid is in first grade, you know the dad did the work. I'm not the handiest, and ours wasn't the prettiest, but at least it looked like Nate and I worked on it together. We didn't do well, but we learned a lot. Here are the top four things learned for next year:
1. Lightweight and thin is the key. One guy used a lathe to make a paper thin cylinder that still had enough strength to not collapse.
2. Small fins at angles are important. The fins we had on our rocket were big and created lift, which put the belly up and caused more drag on the rocket, and also put uneven weight on the guide-wire, slowing it down. You need to have small fins that stablize and don't create lift.
3. Being wound last is key. They would wind the rocket 25 turns, and the one who got wound last, would typically win.

This year we're writing off to lessons learned.

We've got the pinewood derby coming up, which is a blast and something my brother did with my Dad growing up. The kids have to follow strict guidelines on what they can do with the axles, base and wheels. They've got a "Geezer League" for the dad's where it's anything goes. Last year, one guy hooked up a high power fan and created a hover-craft type device and blew everyone away. I'm going to try and outsource the building of it overseas, maybe India... I should be able to get it built for a few Rupees.