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When I was in architecture school I worked at the airport to help supplement my tuition and pay for flight time. Often I was allowed to help the A&P mechanics work on the airplanes and perform menial tasks for them. When the mechanics would rebuild or repair portions of the planes they would throw the old pieces into scrap piles and sorting bins I always thought that many of those pieces were art forms in their own right. The forms and curves of airplane parts are absolutely beautiful to me. When I am performing the pre-flight before I fly, the feeling of running your hands across the airfoils and propeller blades somehow makes you feel closer to nature. You can feel the principles and theories developed over the years that we now know as aerodynamics run from the tips of your fingers throughout your body. As we are embarking on this new company that will integrate architecture and aviation I have been researching other companies that incorporate design with aviation and came across this one.
I believe that this company shares the same passion for design and aviation that has shaped my life and career as an architect and a pilot.
interflight studiosI would like to finish today’s blog with a quote from Antoine de Saint Exupery – the famous French Aviator and author.
“Have you ever thought, not only about the airplane but whatever man builds, that all of man’s industrial efforts, all his computations and calculations, all the nights spent working over draughts and blueprints, invariably culminate in the production of a thing whose sole and guiding principle is the ultimate principle of simplicity? It is as if there were a natural law which ordained that to achieve this end, to refine the curve of a piece of furniture, or a ship’s keel, or the fuselage of an airplane, until gradually it partakes of the elementary purity of the curve of the human breast or shoulder, there must be experimentation of several generations of craftsmen. In anything at all, perfection is finally attained not when there is no longer anything to add, but when there is no longer anything to take away, when a body has been stripped down to its nakedness.”
Antoine de Saint ExuperyI have been researching “illusions” that can have an impact on a pilot’s perception and actions and/or reactions. The idea is to gain a better understanding of the “illusions” and the effects they have on the mind and to mitigate symtoms such as “empty field myopia”. I first became interested in these “illusions” while studying under professor Bill Bowler at the University of Idaho. Bill introduced me to some of the art pieces and installations dealing with light and space by James Turrell.
Listen to the commentary at the end of the video below in which the woman says, “When you really start to look, then you start to lose yourself….and that’s when it becomes very…disorienting.” It then shows the woman bumping into the solid matter, “Whoa”.
The empty field is similar to the effect of flying into a cloud or into a dark night sky with no references in IFR (Instrument Flight Rules) conditions. Without a horizon or other objects to relate to, the pilot can easily lose directional control of the aircraft and end up in a spiral dive with the feeling that they are still traveling straight and level (if not paying attention to their instruments). The centripital force of the spinning motion can be misinterpereted giving the pilot the sensation that the airplane is traveling straight and level, when in “reality” the aircraft may be in a spiral towards the ground. As the woman in the video says above. “Whoa”. Click the link below to see what a spiral dive looks like from inside the cockpit with external references in VFR (Visual Flight Rules) conditions.
From inside the cockpit:
From outside the cockpit:
I was looking into this type of building for a commercial project we are working on. I think it is an interesting and viable method of construcion. The shipping containers are coming into our country literally by the shipload. They are standard sizes and can be stacked in either a horizontal or vertical orientation. Their modular nature has high dimensional tolerances as they are made to be stacked tightly onto ships for transport. In my mind they seem much like giant lego blocks. Using our 3D drafting software makes it really fun to place the containers in different configurations and create interesting interior spaces that reflect contemporary sculpural exterior design elements. The containers can also be easily transported over land by either train or semi-truck tractor trailers. The initial construction process is fast as the units are flown into place with the use of a construction crane giving an instant “shell” building ready to receive interior finishes and cut in windows and doors. The energy required to produce this building material has already been spent which makes the process more environmentally conscious. Below are some links for more information on integrating shipping containers into our built environment:
Karma and I ran 4 miles from Discovery Park down to the Diversion Dam and back yesterday. It felt great! We went to Bandanna afterward and I bought some new running shoes because the support in mine was breaking down. I used them to train for the Sawtooth Relay last year, so I have no idea how many miles they have on them. I saw John & Joni Stright at Bandana and John was on his way to Toronto to get current in flying the DeHavilland Twin Otter. We went to the Flying M afterward for a mocha.
I went running tonight when I got back from flying. It felt great to decompress and think about my flight. I ran about 4 miles and checked out the area around Boise Cascade Pond. The new Ester Simplot park is going to be a great asset to our community. Also, the whitewater park is going to bring another positive aspect to our community in Boise.
The waterfront district is taking off! It is great to see it actually coming together.
http://www.waterfrontdistrict.com/
I went flying tonight with Flight Instructor Rick Reierson from Ponderosa Aero Club. I have been working on getting my license current again. We departed Boise Class C airspace and headed to the South of the airport above Kuna and Initial point. I did 30 degree banked turns for 360 degrees in each direction and S turns over a road. We also did turns about a point using an irrigation crop circle as a guide. I felt pretty solid in the ground reference maneuvers. After that we went over to Nampa and did some pattern work. I did three landings. The first was the best of the three. After that we headed back to Boise for a straight in approach. It felt good to be back in the air!