Working with electronics has always been a passion of mine. It’s something I’ve shown interest in from a very young age. I would take apart broken toys (and some not very broken ones) and use the parts to build new and interesting things. My parents weren’t always very happy with what I built, as apparently I didn’t have much regard for my own safety. I remember building an air conditioning unit from old computer cooling fans, a large liquid detergent bottle and loads of ice. It worked quite well but my parents expressed concern for the exposed wiring in very close proximity to the pool of water caused by the melting ice. I offered a compromise by building a drainage system but I imagine that my mad scientist-esque design didn’t inspire much confidence and in the end I was asked to disassemble it. On the other hand they did support my less dangerous creations. I would scour the electronics dumps around the campus for parts and would try to design various contraptions. I fancied myself an inventor and though many of the things I built didn’t actually do much, it always filled me with a sense of accomplishment when I got them to do what I wanted.

In high school I started taking electronics classes. As hard as they would sometimes be, my fascination with the inner workings of electricity pushed me to learn the formulas and theories behind things that I had merely taken for granted before. I started being able to calculate things instead of just throwing them together until they sort of worked. There was now design behind the my ideas. The main downside was that purchasing parts to build my ideas were cost prohibitive. Often I would abandon projects as I couldn’t justify spending money on something I wasn’t even sure would work.

In college I start a computer science degree. My first class on C++ … was a struggle. It was all new to me and I was having a hard time figuring it all out. I felt bad constantly asking classmates for help with things, that to some of them, appeared elementary. Then suddenly, somewhere around the middle of my first semester … It all just clicked. Instead of just being helped I was now doing the helping. I became one of competent programmers in the class. It felt great to be working together with others rather than being coaxed along and that feeling pushed me to learn even more. The main draw of programming to me was that I was able to design and build things in software and test them ad infinitum until I got them right. There was no fear that If I didn’t do it just right I might break something expensive. It allowed me the freedom, as Facebook’s motto once was, to “Move Fast and Break Things.”  Even if i did break something I could just undo it and try something else. That freedom to do what appeared to be anything was exhilarating. I would build functionality into my class projects that went far beyond the requirements … mainly because I wanted to see how far I could push the envelope. This drive to learn as much as I can and do as much as was possible pushed me to learn PHP and HTML/CSS and eventually I became a freelance web developer.

I graduated with an Associate in Computer Science and started a new degree in field that I had dreamed about for as long as I could remember. Aviation. Learning to be an aircraft mechanic and eventually a pilot took nearly all of my time but being my lifelong dream I wasted no time (haha who am I kidding I still wasted time) pushing my way to completion. Sadly there wasn’t much programming or even electronic projects going on. I’d get nostalgic, purchase some components, mess around with them, but ultimately they’d end up in a box. My web and general computer knowledge was continuously used but I still spent copious amounts of time on HACKADAY  wishing I could be like the geniuses on there.

Fast forward a few years … 2016. I graduated from college with a Bachelors in Aviation Technology. Now a licensed Commercial Pilot and Aircraft Mechanic I landed a job at an aerial crop photography company. Over the years my job has give me the opportunity to use my pilot and mechanic abilities as well as my computer knowledge I’ve learned over the years. I’ve done some electronics work in our research projects but mostly in an assistive role.
That all changed when recently I came across the Stratux project. In the united states the FAA is pushing for all aircraft to become ADS-B compliant by 2020. To keep it brief all aircraft will transmit their GPS location and other data back to ATC which would allow tracking and guidance services in locations where there would typically be no radar coverage. This would allow for more efficient routing for aircraft and generally greatly improved traffic separation. What we cared about was the other part of the system. In addition to traffic location services, aircraft equipped with a ADS-B receiver in addition to a transmitter are able to receive traffic and weather information. Typical receivers cost about $600 – $1000 at the time of this writing … well outside of my budget personally and it was a lot to ask the company to supply. With the Stratux unit however, we can now get that traffic and weather data … for only about $150. Significantly cheaper than one of the commercially available units. The weather data would allow our pilots to be more effective in the airborne decision making, ultimately saving the company money. With that in mind I wrote up a proposal for my boss, requesting to start research and testing for a Stratux unit for our airplanes. Much to my excitement he agreed. And just like that I was able to get back to doing something I loved. Don’t get me wrong, flying is my dream and I enjoy flying for this company. But working on stuff like this project allows me to express my creativity in a way that I’ve missed for a very long time. In addition to that actually having a purpose for what I build is just as exciting and perhaps more encouraging than doing it to see what happens.

Well this post is long enough as it is. I’ll write another post as I continue to work on the Stratux.