Caption: Bagley's new High Compression Molding involves heating
balsa wood under pressure to tighten the grain and harden the exterior.
"In the first phase of the project we designed several cars using AutoCAD and tested them virtually, we then had to order the best type of
balsa wood to manufacture the cars, which are slightly bigger than the palm of a hand.
F1 in Schools challenges students to create their own Formula One team which is commissioned to design, construct and race the fastest miniature Formula One Car of the Future - a 21cm long scale model built from a block of
balsa wood and powered by an air cylinder.
My Uncle Bobby came home from the Army in 1953, and built me a Spitfire from light but sturdy
balsa wood. It was enormous, or maybe it just seemed that way to a tiny five-year-old.
The Norwegian film, Kon-Tiki, tells the story of a sweeping adventure detailing legendary explorer Thor Heyerdahl's daring attempt to prove that early settlers from South America once populated Polynesia by sailing across the Pacific on a simple
balsa wood raft.
The competition requires a team to design, model and test a scaled version of a racing car made from
Balsa wood to be sent down a 20m racetrack powered by a CO2 canister.
Pic follows the voyage of Thor Heyerdahl and his crew, who sailed across the Pacific on a
balsa wood raft in 1947 to prove that seafarers from South America had settled the Polynesian islands.
Choose from DIY planes fashioned from
balsa wood, sewing fun costumes or creating a play boat from a metal bath tub and a canvas sail.
The aeromodellers, using remote-controlled aircraft, will be flying scaled-down versions of full size planes, using lightweight materials such as polystyrene,
balsa wood, foam and fiberglass.
Student Daniel Finnamore said: "The competition is based around racing a one twentieth scale race car made from
balsa wood.
11 Teams were registered for the event which allowed students, ages 14-to-17, to race miniature
balsa wood F1 cars they designed themselves.
Gamera weighs-in at a feathery 210 pounds, student pilot included, and owes its lightweight to the
balsa wood, foam, mylar and carbon fiber used in construction.
Summary: As the miniature Formula One car sped down the 20-metre straight track, team contestants clenched their fists, willing the air-powered
balsa wood sports car to reach the finish lane fast.
Using the materials, a whole year group can now be involved in designing, making and then racing miniature
balsa wood cars powered by compressed gas.
