Learn Engineering With Your Kids By Using Custom Transformers And Other Components

Don’t let the recent debacle about the boy fromcompleted to the time the aircraft was ready for its
Colorado who was feared to have flown off in hisfirst test flight.
family’s weather balloon discourage you and yourMany of today’s most successful engineers got
children from experimenting with flight. I’m nottheir start monkeying around with electronics and
suggesting you launch Junior, by any means, but Imotors as children. There something about having a bin
would like to invite you and your kids to explore theof mechanical and electronic parts: electric
world of unmanned flight.motors,transistors, wheels, dials, transmitters, tubes,
Drones aren’t just for the military. While Air Forcecables, LEDs, antennas, amplifiers, maybe even a
drones have gotten all the media attention during theswitch mode transformer or two to inspire creative
past ten years or so, people forget that it wasgenius in anyone. Sitting down with a child and telling
hobbyists who started the whole unmanned airplanethem that they can work with the components too
tradition, many years ago. Back when kids used toand watching the look in their eyes as they realize that
play outside and knew their way around more thanthey’ve just been given the license to create is an
just a joystick or a computer keyboard, it used to beexperience I encourage all parents to undertake.
common to see them in parks, radio transmitter inAnd if it turns out that starting from scratch just
hand. It’s a great hobby that teaches childrenisn’t your thing, don’t worry. Kits have actually
important skills like how to identify a switch modebecome even more accessible than ever and you can
transformer, how to solder and weld, principals ofeasily order a basic starter version online. For under a
aerodynamics and how radio frequency control works.hundred dollars you can put together a simple radio
While full airplane kits are available from many hobbycontrolled airplane with your son or daughter and be
stores, there’s a lot to be said for building fromoutdoors flying it in hours- or once the glue dries. And
scratch. My daughter and I built our last projectno-one will hold the commercial aspect against you -it
together and, aside from a slight delay while waiting formay have been a kit, but you still put the effort into
some custom transformers to arrive, we spent aboutassembling it yourself.
sixty days all told from the point where our design was