Well said Burke. The kid does have some talents derived from making model planes, remember The Flight of the Phoenix movie, where a model plane designer reconfigured a crashed bomber in the desert to take off and save the crew.
And the PLANE DID WORK SO FAR, I was WRONG in my prediction of a crash in the beginning. Corrected.
If you account for the scaling effect of Reynolds #, such experience does have some merit. But in looking back at aviation problems of the past, from the Comet to the Concorde, one learns the hard way that Murphys Law rules! We have tools
today to design better, stronger, aircraft that are safer, and hobbyists may not have access. But even a program like 3D StudioMax can model most of the physics of flight and structure, I have a friend that uses it, quite powerful, and copies can be "found" on the net. Running it is another thing, have to have a lot of interest and time to learn it.
Peters next project should be a dual O motor powered X-15!
Forget dropping from a B-52, just do ground vertical takeoff.
If he survives that, I suggest an ME-163.
Use flourine oxydizer, and red fuming nitric acid fuel. Take the dog. :headbang: