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The heart of the Groups activities is actually doing something, real live projects which are coordinate to form impressive results which are used within schools, colleges, organisations like the sea cadets, to steam fairs. This allows us to engage.
The clubs and the event allow us to forward this mission. Last year we successfully built a spitfire cockpit and incorporation of a mechanical simulator. We also built a computer simulator, with instrument panel.
This year we will be integrating these projects to form an ‘emotional simulator’. This is different to a aircraft simulator, it is a realistic environment where we can evoke the emotions of flying a spitfire simulator under certain conditions. The smell, the atmosphere, weather conditions, vibrations from the engine trust are part and parcel of the experience which we simulate. Here the motion of the simulator is surpassed by emotion!
We have also been :demonstrating the cockpit simulator at the sea cadets, at fairs and shows;
developing the web site and group clubs to provide on going communication with interested parties; searching for a permanent workshop to provide a firm foundation for the projects within the west country and increasing collaboration on a worldwide footing. This means if you are an engineer in say the USA, you can now actively collaborate with us.
Well what about the specific projects? Well as you can imagine from the information shared so far its at every level. We need to capture the whole system, not just the planes and pilots. This allows us to explore systems and how they worked, leading to historic debate with meaning and purpose. These skills are directly transferable to modern society.
You may be interested in acting, and the live history project. Here, from interviews, research and archives we recreate activities, such as pilot chats in the mess, engineers chatting about servicing planes, mission control to the emotions of a mission, knowing the fate of the pilots in their brave actions. Here its important that the age of the people involve is reflected in that of the actors an re-in actors.
All the projects rely on contributions of tools, equipment, aviation items and donations. You may think we would not be interested in items, but we have a creative team with great imagination.
To show the spectrum of this, if you have old aviation seat belts, we have a project to turn them into designer belts, we can sell these to raise project funds. If you have an old generator we can use it in the ‘sky at night project’. If you have instrument dials we can use it in the cockpit reconstructions, old uniforms, for the ‘Live history’ project. Got old materials and tools, then we need these for project work, so a good clear out could result in a project coming alive. That's the whole point, getting the right things to the right people and making a difference.
You may have an old mobility scooter, which we can use the motor controllers from, an old pub projector, unwanted computer equipment, vibration table, pneumatic equipment... We have uses for all these items, small servo motors from remote controlled models, sensors, transducers, again we can put them to good use.
If you want to get involved in a project, or interested in them, the best thing is to join one of the clubs. This allows the right people to get in contact and
on a mission. If you know of a friend, then why not email them about SWHAG web sites and how to contact.
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