For help, advice and discussion about stuff not related to aviation. Play nice: no religion, no politics and no axe grinding please.
By JoeC
#1683760
Genghis the Engineer wrote:
The target was new generations of young scientists and engineers inspired by this project.


Not wanting to be completely cynical but I'd hazard a guess that, as with lots of these projects, the target was "how much fun can we have and who can we get to pay our salaries to have that fun for the next 5/10+ years".

Couching projects like these as promoting STEM is a useful funding/PR tool when all your doing **** around with a jet engine. Naturally it may have some subsequent youth inspiration benefits.
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By kanga
#1683791
JoeC wrote:.... Naturally it may have some subsequent youth inspiration benefits.


In the case of Bloodhound it certainly has. Not long ago there was on local TV an interview with a young graduate design engineeer at RR in Filton who said she had not thought of engineering as a career until the Bloodhound roadshow had come to her Primary School.

[To help dispel cynicism it may not be too late to come to the LAA-YES Conference at Cosford tomorrow .. (yes, one of the JAM STEM Ambassadors, the 'youth outreach coordinator', should be there) :oops: ]
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By Genghis the Engineer
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1683875
JoeC wrote:
Genghis the Engineer wrote:
The target was new generations of young scientists and engineers inspired by this project.


Not wanting to be completely cynical but I'd hazard a guess that, as with lots of these projects, the target was "how much fun can we have and who can we get to pay our salaries to have that fun for the next 5/10+ years".

Couching projects like these as promoting STEM is a useful funding/PR tool when all your doing **** around with a jet engine. Naturally it may have some subsequent youth inspiration benefits.


Admitting to a few conversations with a former colleague with the initials RN. They started that way, and then were approached by some big ticket potential sponsors, not least the RAF, who said "if you do it this way, we'll support you". I think that was basically how they got hold of an EJ200 engine.

G
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By eltonioni
#1705606
Love the chutzpah and the spin off STEM work but the core of the project is starting to have the smell of the Moller Skycar.
By chevvron
#1706743
johnm wrote:I think that's why Kart drivers like Lewis Hamilton do so well in Formula 1, it doesn't seem any faster :-)

Somewhere in my loft is a race programme for a kart race meeting I attended at Rye House Stadium (Hoddesdon) in 1970; one of the race drivers in one of the 100cc classes (no gearbox, no clutch, direct drive) is a certain Nigel Mansell.
For those too young to remember, he not only became F1 World Champion in 1992 but the following year was Indy Car Champion too, the only person ever to hold both titles at once.
By johnm
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1706822
eltonioni wrote:Love the chutzpah and the spin off STEM work but the core of the project is starting to have the smell of the Moller Skycar.


The UK has a proud history of bonkers technology projects with little or no commercial or scientific value :-)
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By eltonioni
#1726891
eltonioni wrote:Love the chutzpah and the spin off STEM work but the core of the project is starting to have the smell of the Moller Skycar.


For all the doubting Thomases like me :)

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By kanga
#1727041
Bill McCarthy wrote:What’s the point of it all ? Old hat and old tech.


IIRC, an explicit intention of the project from the beginning was to take both it (major components during the build), and presentations, around schools (primary and secondary) and youth groups, to inspire youngsters into engineering careers; as had also been an aim also of Thrust. And it has apparently worked, at least to some extent: I recall a local (ITV Bristol) news item featuring the project including an interview with a young graduate engineer, seconded to the project from RR at Bristol, who said she had been motivated to take up engineering only after the 'roadshow' had come to her primary school. :thumright:

It may be an inefficient way of evangelising engineering among youngsters, but if not enough of it is happening in other ways .. :)

If, that is, UK will still need engineers in the future :roll: <duck>