ZDesigner 0.3 Linux & Mac versions now available




Directory for the files
http://www.katix.org/karoliina/packages/zdesigner-mac - MacOSX binary
http://www.katix.org/karoliina/packages/zdesigner - Linux Intrepid binary

ZDesigner snapshot



I created Qt-based UI for the aircraft design program I am writing. The initial version is available from here:

http://www.katix.org/karoliina/packages/zdesigner-current.tar.gz

ChangeLog
COPYING
zdesigner - Ubuntu Intrepid Binary

You need to have Qt 4.5 installed to run the binary.

Cheap aircraft

I have read this report before, but it still remains quite interesting, it is about the FMX-4 Facetmobile: http://www.wainfan.com/pavreport.pdf

Link: Wing tip devices

NONPLANAR WING CONCEPTS FOR INCREASED AIRCRAFT EFFICIENCY - http://aero.stanford.edu/Reports/VKI_nonplanar_Kroo.pdf

AME Jobs: Aircraft Maintenance Engineers - BAE Systems

AIRCRAFT MAINTENANCE ENGINEERING JOBS IN AUSTRALIA - BAE Systems

Location: Auckland
Salary: 4 day working week and great rates
Work type: Full Time Classification:Trades & Services Technicians
• Permanent, full time aircraft maintenance roles
• Overseas applicants who meet requirements are welcome to apply
• Be challenged and enjoy your work in the relaxed Townsville (4 day working week awaits!)

BAE Systems is Australia's largest defence company and offers the Australian Defence Force and security customers total capability across aerospace, land, maritime and joint environments. Our 6,000 highly skilled employees work to provide our Army, Navy and Air Force with the capability they need, when they need it.

A number of fantastic opportunities have become available within our helicopter maintenance team based in Townsville, Queensland.

Reporting to Senior Team Leaders, you will carry out and certify scheduled and unscheduled maintenance, ensure that all maintenance documentation is compliant with regulations and also get the opportunity to further take advantage of your skills and experience as you act as a mentor for apprentices and new starters.

Trade qualifications in Aircraft Maintenance Engineering (Cert 4 or equivalent) are essential as is an understanding of aircraft maintenance regulations and procedures. Equally important, will be your experience in a relevant workshop environment, along with your sound verbal and written communications skills and desire to be part of a strong team. Helicopter maintenance experience will be considered favourably.

We offer excellent remuneration together with outstanding development opportunities.  With competitive salaries and wages, support for training and development, generous benefits, a genuine focus on diversity and family friendly, flexible work practices, consider BAE Systems for your next career move.

Relocation assistance is available to assist interstate or overseas applicants.

Whilst Australian citizenship or residency is preferred, applicants from overseas or on visas in Australia are most welcome to express interest in these exciting opportunities.
Applications should be addressed to Jordan Monier. HR Advisor - Recruitment.
Please ensure you attach a current resume and copy of your relevant qualification(s) to your application. A cover letter is preferred.

www.baesystems.com
BAE Systems is an Equal Opportunity Employer

Holiday Season Gifts - RC Cars(Radio-Controlled) are Less Expensive

What is an RC car?

RC stands for radio-controlled. An RC car or truck comes in either toy or hobby grade. Let's take a look at the difference:

Toy grade RC cars are less expensive and can be found at most electronics stores.  But if you're serious about making RC cars one of your hobbies, they aren't your best bet. If you're really interested in RC cars, you'll want the hobby grade car or truck. There are lots of advantages to the hobby grade car. For instance, they have tons of available spare parts and upgrades. For a lot of people, they don't just love racing their RC cars--they also love building and fixing it up.

Now that you know the basics of RC cars, it's time to decide what kind of car or truck you want to buy.


RC Cars - The #1 RC Hobby

The kind of all RC Hobbies is the RC Car. Radio controlled cars only move in 2 dimensions (it shouldn't be flying under normal circumstances), they are inexpensive, they can be driven by anyone old enough to ride a bike, and they are easy to repair. The real question comes down to what you expect from your rc car.

Want speed? Some of these cars can move upwards of 70+ mph! Obviously this isn't for an eight year old to play with unless they are extremely responsible and an amazing driver. Certainly it shouldn't be their first car. You can expect to pay around $300 for this type of setup.
Traxxas RTR 1/10 Rustler VXL 2.4GHz with 7 Cell Battery and Charger     Traxxas RTR 1/10 Rustler VXL 2.4GHz with 7 Cell Battery and Charger

The great thing about these Traxxas rc cars are that if a part breaks you're not out $200 or $300.  Traxxas makes a full line of replacement parts for those unfortunate accidents.  Honestly that's why I recommend these cars.  They take a lickin' and keep on tickin'!  Do yourself a favor and spend a few extra bucks and have these cars for the next couple years.  Its a great RC hobby to jump into.

Wanna off-road? Some of the rc trucks have monster tires and can rip through some pretty rough terrain. You can build an obstacle coarse are race your friends. Lots of fun can be hand with this off-road rc cars. Here are a couple products in the $200 price range.
Traxxas RTR 1/10 Stampede with Water Proof XL-5 and 7 Cell Battery with Charger Traxxas RTR 1/10 Stampede with Water Proof XL-5 and 7 Cell Battery with Charger

Racing RC car

Ah, finally, the opportunity to seize and conquer the open road. Well, on a smaller scale. But it certainly can't be denied that one of the appeals of the RC car is that it allows you to go a little crazy--maybe a little too fast, maybe be a little (okay a lot) more dangerous than you (hopefully) are when driving an actual car.

Types of Racing RC car

Oval Track - This is your standard way of racing RC cars--not to say it isn't awesome, because it's definitely a lot of fun. Again, check with your local hobby shop or your RC Club for good oval tracks in your area.

Off-Road - A lot of people enjoy the freedom and fun of off-road RC driving. And it's true--you can go pretty wild with off-road racing.

Drag Racing - If pure speed is your thing and you don't care so much about jumps and stunts, drag racing is for you. Drag racing involves a 1/10 replica of a drag strip. You can buy RC drag cars that will rip across the strip in little more than a second. As you might imagine, they're some of the fastest RC cars out there.

Competitions RC car

If you've practiced racing your car and want to amp up your hobby, then definitely enter a competition. They're a lot of fun and a great way to connect with other RC racers. If you haven't already, join an RC Club and you'll know where to compete.

Advantage of push-pull

I have been thinking what are the advantages and disadvantages of push-pull configuration. Everyone knows that push-pull has both disadvantages of pusher and tractor configuration but also implements a simple to control center line thrust operation for a critical single engine situation. However, there is more than that to it.

If you think one-of-a-kind aircraft, e.g. what Burt Rutan used to do during the early years. You want to build a twin on a shoestring budget. Then you realize that you have to buy two of everything. What if you have two engines already hanging around but they are not exactly the same make, model and horse power.

In case of center line thrust, no problem. Nothing requires the two engines to be the same. Not even weight and balance. Burt Rutan's Voyager is an example. You can find that the front engine is different from the rear engine.

It might not be because of the reason described above, but if you are into auto conversions and designing a twin, how you plan to get two identical engines for not much cost at all (from totalled cars for example). Might prove to be a challenge, especially in a country like Finland where the population and the availability of engines might be poor. With center line thrust you can use different engines in the front and rear.

By the way: Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

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