Rudders

Our original design for the rudder system was to place three peices of wood to use as rudders and connect them to the fan, kind of like the steering system of a paddle boat. After we decided to use thick cardboard instead of wood, we needed to figure out how to make them attach to the fan. First we tried using a hard plastic material as the top and bottom support of the rudders. We drilled holes in the top of the plastic to attach it to the fan and drilled holes to place the rudders on a swivel. We tried putting the turning wholes in many different places but finally decided to put it in the bottom back corners because it was the easiest place to connect it to the steering. We thought of using a wooden dowl for steering but it was too stiff so the rope turned out to be the better option. When we attached the system to the fan, we decided we had to cut down the rudders because our measurements were not accurate and didn't fit with the fan correctly. Then we had to replace the dowls that held it to the top and bottom because they didnt fit with the new sizing. During the trial run of the hovercraft, we realized the plastic wasn't sturdy enough to support the rudders because when the craft crashed the plastic broke. We decided to switch the plastic to wood and replaced it on the fan. After we redrilled all the holes we placed it on the fan cover. We had to place the fan a little bit back because it would interfere with the rudder system. Mr. Hunt gave us the idea later to place triangular pieces of wood in the corners to help support the wood even more.

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By: Garrett, Tori, and Jon