Rick Schertle
  • San Jose, CA
  • United States
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Rick Schertle's Page

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Rick Schertle posted blog posts
Aug 19, 2012
A blog post by Rick Schertle was featured

R/C Aviation Success with the Flying "Towel"

I've been a fan of R/C aviation all my life.  A section of my garage is dedicated to crashed airplanes and failed attempts.  This week I finally passed over the threshold of becoming a competent radio control pilot.  This past May at Maker Faire Bay Area, for the fifth year I had my compressed air rockets out in the back parking…See More
Aug 18, 2012
0 Comments
Rick Schertle posted a blog post

R/C Aviation Success with the Flying "Towel"

I've been a fan of R/C aviation all my life.  A section of my garage is dedicated to crashed airplanes and failed attempts.  This week I finally passed over the threshold of becoming a competent radio control pilot.  This past May at Maker Faire Bay Area, for the fifth year I had my compressed air rockets out in the back parking…See More
Aug 18, 2012
0 Comments
Rick Schertle posted a blog post

Maker Camp on Google+ Starts Monday, July 16th

Maker Camp opens this next Monday, July 16th.  Put on by MAKE Magazine, it's a virtual camp aimed at teens for discovering, creating and building.  30 projects will be introduced over 30 days.  This free camp is put on in partnership with Google+ and teens can interact with camp counselors via Hangouts and even take virtual field trips each Friday.I'm excited to be helping kick off Maker Camp at the New York Hall of Science in Queens, New York this Monday, July 16th.  We'll be building…See More
Jul 11, 2012
0 Comments
James Floyd Kelly commented on Rick Schertle's blog post 'Riding the Rails - Speeder Style'
"I have a 5 year old who is 100% fascinated with all things train-related... he would love this.  I'm going to have to do some searching around the Atlanta area and see if we might be able to hitch a ride.  Thanks, Rick."
Jun 29, 2012
Rick Schertle commented on Rick Schertle's blog post 'Riding the Rails - Speeder Style'
"Hi Jim,  Yes.  The speeders will "rent" the rails for a day or weekend.  They don't ride on busy main line rail but usually just "short" lines that can still be well over 100 miles or more in length.…"
Jun 29, 2012
James Floyd Kelly commented on Rick Schertle's blog post 'Riding the Rails - Speeder Style'
"Rick, are there any special limits or times applied to the speeders?  I know very little about the operation of rail lines, but I imagine this kind of thing has to be scheduled like flying a single engine plane and sharing the skies with bigger…"
Jun 28, 2012
Rick Schertle posted a blog post

Riding the Rails - Speeder Style

My dad has always been a train fan.  To help pay his way through UCLA, he worked at Union Station in Los Angeles.  He and my grandpa watched the transition from steam to diesel and lived through the fading glory days of rail travel.  When I came along, I joined the tradition.  We occasionally chased steam trains of…See More
Jun 27, 2012
3 Comments
Carl Houtman commented on Rick Schertle's blog post 'Mods for Compressed Air Rockets and Launcher'
"Here are some pics.It is just a series of nipples, tees, and reducers.  As noted before, we use a spring, a latch and a ball valve to release it.  The string running to the right is about 10 feet long, so we can be well out of the way…"
Jun 19, 2012
Dan Bramos commented on Rick Schertle's blog post 'Mods for Compressed Air Rockets and Launcher'
"Carl, I'm very interested in the galvanized steel version. One of the guys at work has built his own UAV and asked me about an automated launch system. I think would do the trick if we can boost the psi just a bit more to compensate for the…"
Jun 19, 2012
Rick Schertle posted blog posts
Jun 17, 2012
Carl Houtman commented on Rick Schertle's blog post 'Mods for Compressed Air Rockets and Launcher'
"As a chemical engineer who designs piping systems,  this design has always worried me a bit, PVC does not take cyclic loads well, neither do PET soda bottles, but this is another story.  While a bit more expensive, I built a launcher out…"
Jun 11, 2012
A blog post by Rick Schertle was featured

Mods for Compressed Air Rockets and Launcher

Geek Dad Readers,I would love to hear from you on some mods to work on this summer for my Compressed Air Rocket and Launcher - You can find build directions on MAKE Projects.  It was posted on the MAKE blog today with some good comments already.  Things I'm thinking are a parachute, glider or helicopter recover system.  How to launch a video comer and have it come back down intact.  See blog post here: …See More
Jun 11, 2012
4 Comments
James Floyd Kelly commented on Rick Schertle's blog post 'Mods for Compressed Air Rockets and Launcher'
"I don't have any suggestions for modding the rockets, but one of the problems I've had with the rocket launcher is that the kids get so excited that they often run straight to the rocket, tripping over either the wires from the push button…"
Jun 10, 2012
Rick Schertle posted a blog post

Mods for Compressed Air Rockets and Launcher

Geek Dad Readers,I would love to hear from you on some mods to work on this summer for my Compressed Air Rocket and Launcher - You can find build directions on MAKE Projects.  It was posted on the MAKE blog today with some good comments already.  Things I'm thinking are a parachute, glider or helicopter recover system.  How to launch a video comer and have it come back down intact.  See blog post here: …See More
Jun 10, 2012
4 Comments
Rick Schertle commented on Rick Schertle's blog post 'Geek Dad Road Trip'
"Tim, Thanks for your message.  We're keeping our itinerary a bit open.  Roughly - Idaho - Yellowstone - Mt. Rushmore - Madison - Chicago - Cleveland - Upstate NY - Vermont - Maine - down East Coast (Boston, NYC) to DC -…"
Jun 1, 2012

Profile Information

What are some of your geeky hobbies?
Woodworking
R/C Planes
Rockets
Anything that flies
Writer for MAKE Magazine
Mac/PC/Linux?
Mac, PC
Favorite geeky media (books, music, movies)?
MAKE Magazine - Better Off

Rick Schertle's Blog

R/C Aviation Success with the Flying "Towel"

Posted on August 18, 2012 at 2:30am 0 Comments

I've been a fan of R/C aviation all my life.  A section of my garage is dedicated to crashed airplanes and failed attempts.  This week I finally passed over the threshold of becoming a competent radio control pilot.  

This past May at Maker Faire Bay Area, for the fifth year I had my compressed air rockets out…

Continue

Maker Camp on Google+ Starts Monday, July 16th

Posted on July 11, 2012 at 10:57pm 0 Comments

Maker Camp opens this next Monday, July 16th.  Put on by MAKE Magazine, it's a virtual camp aimed at teens for discovering, creating and building.  30 projects will be introduced over 30 days.  This free camp is put on in partnership with Google+ and teens can interact with camp counselors via Hangouts and even take virtual field trips each Friday.

I'm excited to be helping kick off Maker Camp at the New York Hall of Science in Queens, New York this Monday, July 16th.  We'll be…

Continue

Riding the Rails - Speeder Style

Posted on June 27, 2012 at 4:44pm 3 Comments

My dad has always been a train fan.  To help pay his way through UCLA, he worked at Union Station in Los Angeles.  He and my grandpa watched the transition from steam to diesel and lived through the fading glory days of rail travel.  



When I came along, I joined the tradition.  We…

Continue

Reflections from Room 19

Posted on June 17, 2012 at 8:30pm 0 Comments

Schools all over the country are finishing up for the summer. As I wrap up my 19th year teaching middle school, I like to reflect back on how things went and how to adjust for next year. One thing I love about teaching, is that it works in cycles - every year there is a beginning and an end with a summer…
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