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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (March 1, 1978)
? iviation improvement is iective of researcher THE BATTALION WEDNESDAY, MARCH 1, 1978 Page 3 r ff} Work on an anti-stall device for neral aviation aircraft is in prog- at Texas A&M University. n 8 sl )' Research directed by Howard teadt-ievalier, Texas A&M aerospace arcln igineering professor, will soon ive to wind tunnel testing of a l-scale aircraft equipped with a iler-type stall prevention system, its will be conducted at Langley search Center facilities in nia. The studies will involve jr aerospace engineering majors Faulkner of Bryan and Bruce of La Feria. Sevalier and students ran similar ests in the Langley tunnel last mer. Full-scale flight tests are planned Inext fall. They are expected to produce a irevention system applicable to jralpurpose airplanes for the Na- al Aeronautics and Space Admin- tion. NASA funds the research. Stall and aircraft spins that fre- uently occur after a stall are the ^st single cause of aviation death ^injuries. Stall occurs when a plane goes into high angle of attack attitude and !s airspeed. Airflow separates h the top of the wing, causing a [of lift. ice ' servict istrah he drop its Chevalier has worked on a stall evention device since he joined eTexas A&M faculty in 1969. His rly efforts were unfunded but were tei backed by the Federal Aviation ministration, nldkvt fhe system consists of a vane or er attached to a plane s control ices. An altitude sensing device activates a servomotor to deploy the vane or spoiler, preventing stall. The system has been test flown on single and twin-engine aircraft and demonstrated in flights at several na tional aerospace engineering confer ences. “NASA wants a more up-to-date system, in a ‘small black box’ of three by six inches, for installation near appropriate control surfaces,” Chevalier said. “We hope we will also get the aerodynamics of the plane at high angles of attack to see what effect the system has, he said. “At that point, we will have a stall-proof plane and want to know what its aerodynamics are, now that they are in a range non-predictable according to theory.’’ From those numbers, Chevalier added, it should be possible to work backwards and “see what the geometry of a stall-proof plane is. That’s my goal, to achieve a stall- proof general aviation plane by its geometric configuration, rather than by add-ons.” He said that such geometry would radically alter the appearance of air craft. Major changes would appear in wing and tail design, said the former NASA research engineer. “Having a stall-proof general avi ation airplane would increase its utilization by allowing a pilot more freedom, Chevalier said. “About one in five persons go past their first flying lesson,” Chevalier said. “Approximately one in 10 con tinue past a private license. For some, the reason is money. But we don’t know how much is stress. If we can take away pilot fear that is inad vertently built in with instruction (he’s told never to get his plane in a stall situation), the increase in gen eral aviation would be marked.” Runaway hippo holding out United Press International IRVINE, Calif. — Bubbles was alive and well Tuesday and still eluding Lion Country Safari ran gers who are confident they can return her safely to her 800- pound daughter at the wild ani mal park. Rangers tried to fire tranquiliz- ing darts into the two-ton hip popotamus during the night but were unsuccessful. Bubbles, who escaped from captivity Feb. 19, remained submerged in a lake. “Bubbles is alive and well,” said park spokesman Jo Schetter shortly after dawn. Pickets protesting reports Bubbles might be killed had created crowd control problems which Mrs. Schetter said actually endangered the hippo’s life. “The rangers are going to have to shoot to kill if she endangers humans,” she said. “The best thing they can do for Bubbles is to stay away from the area. We can bring her home if given time and no interference from outsiders. We have the trained manpower to bring that hippo in alive.” m natiail iradill bilitv: lea fights pollution ly filtering process eachit!Brace is taking place on the sea |s of the world, and a team of Inographers from Texas A&M Sversity is on hand to see who is Attorn piling off the coast of Africa to the Fgankf [uth of the Mississippi, a research :>rgai® mpfrom the Texas A&M oceanog- dissomiRiy department has begun its S. G ird year of study. The study is a it. suit of a $77,400 grant from the nventffijtional Science Foundation. Team at indus-Hers Dr. John Johnson and Nor- ivNO'an Guinasso Jr. were the prime Citylurfers in getting the work funded sctollifext year. “We are trying to develop a long- e understanding of how the n regulates its composition,” Dr. David Schink, another team “As we damage the ocean | pollutants, the sea fights back (removing these materials through t. mural filtering process. We mea- tlC re how this is done. f ssentially, we want to find out badly man can treat the ocean out causing irreparable damage. I'e is a constant interplay of forces encing this interaction on the lloor. ” manihBVhat it comes down to is actually |ce between what goes in and it goes out,” Schink said. “We that race.” jhe race is studied by actually bg around the world gathering pies from the sea floor. Most of sampling is done off the 174-foot Gyre, the University’s primary arch vessel. Samples have al- FOOTBALL BUSING SURVEY Please check the appropriate box. 1. Do you live off campus? 2. I would be willing to ride a special bus from near my residence to home football games if available. 3. I would be willing to pay for this service. 4. I would be willing to pay up to: (check the highest amount) □ yes □ □ ves □ □ yes □ no no no ClL 5. would be willing to use a [ I special bus for midnight yell I 1 practice if available. ,50c $1.50 yes □ $1.00 $2.00 no S. I would prefer to pay for this service — : at registration time —-I— when I pick up my football ticket |- only at game time Have you ever sweated or steamed in the traffic snail that occurs every Saturday before and after home football games or had to park and walk half a mile to the game? Have you ever wanted to go to Midnight Yell Practice and not had a ride? Then fill out the survey that TAMU Off-Campus Stu dent Association (OCSA) is sponsoring this Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday and let your voice be heard! OCSA is considering several different methods of financ ing and routing the buses, and the survey is designed to measure student opinion on these methods. The surveys can be found and returned, or you can use the one in the Batt, to all the shuttlebus stops, first floor of the MSC, and Room 216 in the MSC. BOOK MART CUSTOMERS ATTENTION! You can pick up your book or your money Monday, Feb. 27 - Mar. 3 8 a.m.-12, 1 p.m.-5 p.m. Room 216 MSC ready been taken off the coasts of Africa and South America, the East Coast ofthe United States, and in the Caribbean. Next year the Texas A&M team plans to examine the floor of the Pacific. “The sea floor is under constant change,’ said Schink. “Mud, bac teria and a variety of marine or ganisms play an important part in mixing, filtering and turning over the ocean floor. The sea bed acts as a filter. We are interested in the rate these organisms in the mud stir the sea floor. The atomic age and nuclear testing has provided the Texas A&M re- serachers a means for measuring the sea floor’s mixing or filtering rate, said Schink. “By bomb testing, man has spread a small trace of plutonium across the land and oceans,” said Schink. “Us ing radioactive sensing equipment, we can measure the amount of plutonium on the ocean floor. “Mud accumulates very slowly. If there were not mixing, the plutonium would lie just on the sur face of the ocean bed. By looking at the plutonium below the surface, we have a way to measure the rate of stirring. In 25 years, the traces of plutonium have been sifted some 10 centimeters into the ocean floor. The actual rate and depth varies around the world, but one of the higher ratings we have found is around the mouth of the Mississippi River. “ UNLESS YOU PRINT YOUR OWN . . . ... it seems like a student never comes up with enough money to cover school expenses and have anything left over to just enjoy. If you're one of those people who has to spend too much study time earning school money, read on. Air Force ROTC offers a four, three or two-year scholarship for those who can qualify. The plan pays $100 a month for expenses, plus all tuition, book costs and lab fees. While you're working on your degree, you're also working toward a commission in the Air Force. After graduation and commissioning, you'll enter active duty, and discover a whole new world, You'll find challenge, responsibility, a demand for your talents, and a high regard for what you're contributing. There's more. As an officer in the Air Force you'll have an excellent salary with a full slate of benefits. Look into AFR0TC scholarships. And while you're at it ask about the Air Force way of life. You’ll discover more than just a way to make your finances come out while you're in college. You'll discover a whole new world of opportunity. MSgt Bobby D. 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