Why You Should Get Into Sailing

It’s relaxing. You know that song by Christopher Cross called ‘Sailing’? If that song alone was not able to convey how relaxing sailing can be for you, I don’t know what will! Seriously though, sailing is really an extremely relaxing thing to do.

There really is something to be said about ‘being in touch with nature’ and how it calms you inside and out. Sure, taking a walk in the woods can do that too but somehow sailing brings it up a notch higher doesn’t it? So give it a go and soothe your nerves!

It’s more cost-effective than you think. Many people think that sailing is a pretty expensive activity. Well, it is if you want it to be. However, do note that there ARE ways to indulge in boating without it costing an arm and a leg. For instance, did you know that you can finance your own boat for as little as $200-$300 a month?

Also, most marine lenders are boat men too so it’s kind of easy to work out a deal with them. Try it out before you shoot the idea down. You might find that you’re spending more on other activities you’d rather not do!

It makes for good exercise. Sailing is good exercise too you know. Even if you go sailing purely for recreational purposes, the preparation and actual sailing will provide good activities for you. Now, if you want to make a sport out of boating, then all the more calories you get to burn!

It’s a great way to bond with family and/or friends. With no TV, game console, pool table, and mobile phone to occupy people’s times, sailing is an excellent way to simply bond with family and friends. It’s great way to catch up on what everybody else is doing… and all that with such a great backdrop too!

Serious ME time. Of course, sailing can provide some serious alone time too which all of us needs every now and then. If you need to think clearly without fear of being bothered every now and then, sailing is the perfect way to go.

There’s no traffic. Sometimes, the only thing that prevents us from doing what we want to do is… traffic or the little obstacles we need to overcome to do what we want to do. With boating, the sheer space and sense of freedom you get makes these ‘obstacles’ seem very trivial.

It’s fun! Sailing is simply a very FUN thing to do because there are so many avenues to take once you’re in the water. You can go fishing, diving, waterskiing, or simply cruise along.

Sailing can be the best thing you take up this year so go and just do it!

The one of the reason Abaco Island is famous for is Diving trips. The Elbow Cay, Marsh Harbor, Walkers Cay are few where tourist prefer to go. The diving trips are for both experienced and the newcomers, the diving companies operating in island take care of logistic. They provide shuttle service to pick and drop you off at your hotel. It is advisable to book your diving trip in advance.

Another popular attraction in Abaco Islands is sailing, the sailing boat rentals are available for personal, private or group tours. All information available for sailing boats are available in hotels in form tour broachers. The Abaco Island also host private vacation property, which is great alternative to pricy hotel accommodation. The Abaco town close to sea is one such example where large Villas have mushroomed. Some Villas normally are costlier then hotels.The large Villas provide you more room, private setting and feel of royal treatment. Also these villas are filled with amenities.This options good for large families or big group travelling together.

The connection with outside world is either by traveling to three airports on Island or through sailing. The three airports located in Abaco island (Marsh Harbor, Treasure Cay and Walker’s Cay) cater to travelling needs of Abaco Island. The mode of shuttling between airport and hotels is Taxi or Boats. In case your hotel has not provided the shuttle service, you can depend upon local taxi service. A cautious note for travelers, the taxi run without meters but charge reasonable fare. Another alternative to Abaco is ferry service. All this information about Abaco Island is available at airports. If you have booked hotel check with your reservation clark, if they will be sending a shuttle service to pick you from airport.

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<b>Facts about Abaco Island</b>

<ul>

<li>The Abaco Island is also called as “top of The Bahamas”. </li>

<li>The Island is 200 miles east of Miami, FL , USA </li>

<li>Population close to 13,170 </li>

<li>Abaco Island is 130 miles long and comprises of Great Abaco and Little Abaco and many Cays. </li>

<li>Language spoken English </li>

<li>The currency in use is Bahamian Dollar (US dollar and British pound widely accepted) </li>

<li>Follows US model for electricity configuration 110 v/60, for 220 volt instruments you need adapter.</li>

<li>Document needed to enter the Island are: Passport – Birth Certificate with photo ID, and return ticket. </li>

<li>Popular for Scuba Diving and Sailing. </li>

</ul><br/>

<b>How to get in Abaco Island</b>

The outside connection to Abaco Island is through Air link or taking boat to island. The three airports “Marsh Harbour International Airport “, “Treasure Cay”, and “Walker’s Cay” serve the Island for air link. If you are going to camp outside of these cities, then your final journey will be by taxi or boat. Both are priced at reasonable rate. Check with your Hotel customer service, they might have free shuttle service. The airlines, which operate from Island are American eagle, Bahamas Air, Continental Airlines, Island Express Airlines and Yellow Air Taxi (Chartered Flights).<br/>

<b>Where to Stay in Abaco Island</b>

<u>Green Turtle Club Marina</u><br/>

Daily Rate: $170 – $475 (Depending on season rates vary)<br/>

Description: This resort is located on “Green Turtle Cay” in Great Abaco island. The access to resort is by boat, the length of the beach is around 3 miles. The beautiful harbor is surrounded by some of the most pictureque beaches.<br/>

Contact: Green Turtle Club and Marina<br/>

Green Turtle Cay<br/>

Abaco, Bahamas Out Islands<br/>

info@greenturtleclub.com<br/>

Tel: 1-242-365-4271<br/>

Fax: 1-242-365-4272 <br/><br/>

<u>Abaco Beach Resort & Boat Harbour</u><br/>

Daily Rate: $240 to $680 Per Night (Depending on season rates vary)<br/>

Description:The Abaco Beach Resort & Boat Harbour resort provides fantastic breathtaking waterfront view. The hotel is good for everyone interested in laid back rest to active activities such as Fishing, Golf, Tennis, Swimming, Boating and Watersports. Hotel is close to shopping arena a walking dostance from hotel. All at one place.<br/>

Contact: Abaco Beach Resort & Boat Harbour <br/>

Abaco Beach Resort & Boat Harbour<br/>

Marsh Harbour<br/>

Abaco, Bahamas<br/>

Phone: 1-800-468-4799<br/>

Reservations: please call 1.800.753.9259 <br/><br/>

<u>The Bluff House Beach Hotel</u><br/>

Daily Rate: $170 to $565 Per Night (Depending on season rates vary) <br/>

Description: The Bluff House Beach Hotel is located at highest point on “Green Turtle Cay”. The hotel has private beach for guest and provides beautiful beach view.<br/>

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<u>Coco Bay Cottages</u><br/>

Daily Rates: $200 to $350 Per Night<br/>

Description: The Coco Bay Cottages is located at Green Turtle Cay. The place is known for rest and water sports. With beaches on both sides the view are fantastic. <br/>

Contact: Cocobay Cottages<br/>

P.O. Box AB22795<br/>

Green Turtle Cay, Abaco, Bahamas<br/>

USA/Canada – Toll Free: (800) 752-0166 <br/>

Contact number for USA: (561) 202-8149 <br/>

eMail Contact: cocobay1@aol.com<br/><br/>

Above hotels are just are few, search online to get better deals for abaco island. This place offers something for every tourist, be it single, couple or for a family.

Sailing in Spain will make your visit to Spanish soil that little bit more interesting. Spain is renowned to be one of the best sailing hot spots holiday makers can visit whether they are beginners, master sailors or never even been in a boat before. Around Spain there are over 200 harbours that cater for sailing and boating activates all along the coastline of Spain. When you are searching for a location you should be aware that some harbours will be in the Mediterranean ocean and other will be in the Atlantic Ocean. If you are interested in anything from sailing, to motor boats then you will find what you are looking for along the Spanish coasts.

If you are interested in charted Sailing in Spain then there are many groups out there that organise such events for you. The costing of a charted sail can vary due to many variables such as yacht size, crew size, and the length of time you wish to be on the open waters. Such options allow novices who have limited to no sailing experience take to the open waters in complete safety. They will be able to participate with skilled crew members and have a good trip out while on holiday in Spain. If you regard yourself as professional or somewhat experienced then some of these groups will allow you to take the yacht with out the crew onboard so you can sail with your own group of people. Many companies that offer such services will require additional details for proof of such experience and may even take a large sum of money for holding for any possible damage that might occur.

It is possible to get sailing lessons when Sailing in Spain from qualified instructors. You can usually find more information down at the harbour, normally run by the local sailing club. If you are a rookie then this is the best course of action as you learn how to be integrated as part of a crew and learning how to complete all the tasks required to successfully sailing a boat as a team. If you can find a local sailing club or better still a sailing school then usually the courses available to you come packaged as part of a course. Learning to sail is by no means a quick task and will time and dedication. With this in mind you must make sure your stay in Spain is offer a lengthy duration to cater for such a commitment. Some courses can take up to and even over 35 hours to complete before you can get on the open waters a sail a yacht alone or even part of a team.

There are a number of other options related to sailing a yacht that include the hiring of motor boats, rowing boats and even single man sailing boats. Always keep any eye out the local harbour for such equipment to be hired out too holiday makers and locals alike. Make you Sailing in Spain time special.

            Sailboats are different. We heel over (lean), the drinks usually fall over and, listen to this, we have plastic cups to drink from.  Power boaters have real glasses! You can hear the ice clinking!! On sailboats there is not much drinking. This is due to the fact that when sailing we heel, or tack, the drinks. If not getting spilled, they are mixed up from moving to the other side of the sailboat. It’s times like this that you’ll read about in the newspaper; a boater was rescued from the water. It’s possible that it was a guest or crew member aboard a sailboat that was chasing his drink before both were launched overboard. When we do get to our destination, you never see us on deck drinking or otherwise. We are usually below sleeping to regain our strength. Aerobics knocks us out. Then once we do regain our strength, its back on deck and look out… we’re fixing, adjusting, and tightening everything in site. Then, you guessed it, back to sleep. When we are back to ourselves, we are usually sanding down teak, varnishing, or oiling it. We do break out the alcohol, but we have wine. We are reserved. How reserved, I don’t know.  If you remember, we’re drinking out of plastic.

            Now, let’s get serious. It’s not like that at all. Well, some of it is, but generally not. Sailing is just that – sailing through the water, and with some people it gets through to their hearts. I’ve sailed from Montauk to Bermuda, taking 4 1/2 days and, on some of those days, there was not a need to even adjust the sails. I’ve gone to Block Island and Nantucket needing to only attend the sails (winching and adjusting) rarely. It’s once you get through the “Boot Camp” and venture out on your own that you realize how mellow sailing really is.

With a powerboat, as the weather changes and the waves get bigger or smaller, they just adjust their throttle. Our throttle is those sails, Main and Genoa. As the wind picks up, our sails are either reefed (brought in some) or taken down to only one sail. And with the opposite (wind easing), we put out more or even bigger sails. All this action is physical. Do we do it all the time? No, but as weather fronts roll by, it definitely keeps us busy. So when we have a sailing trip that is just perfect, we don’t forget. How often is the weather perfect? Sea conditions? Wind? All this has to come together to achieve that perfect sail. Who has patience for that? Because, it doesn’t come that often. Usually something is off. Well, we’re always waiting for that perfect sail. Sometimes it seems like a long time, especially if we are just drifting with no wind. You know and I know we have engines, but we’ll wait and just drift with sails up for a puff or two to come along. I don’t know why we don’t just start our engines. It can’t be the fuel usage. We only use up to a gallon an hour. Even at full throttle, we don’t use much fuel, and to tell you the truth, we don’t go that fast either. That could be the reason, or I think we just like our surroundings and want to savor the moment as long as we can. We are always rushed on land; I guess this is our break.

            It’s a great feeling to be out on a sailboat, not worrying where the next fuel dock is, but only looking forward to that next breath taking harbor or cove. To be out for days sailing, offshore, seeing whales, dolphins, tuna, flying fish, and then hundreds of miles later, pulling into an island harbor people normally take planes to. It’s not that difficult. It’s almost easy. The hard part is having the time. Oh, that so precious commodity.

            There are sailboat clubs and associations that hold races, which include not only racing sailboats, but a “cruising” division for the rest of us. Here is where you hone your skills by knowing your tides and currents to add a boast. Tweaking those sails to get every bit of knotage out of them. Tacking (oh no!) as efficiently as possible to pull ahead of others and take every advantage. This “racing” builds knowledge and know-how in all weather conditions from race to race. Some are long (Around Long Island Race) and some are short (around a few buoys in a bay), but in all, determination to be more efficient, faster, and quicker, comes from your growing racing knowledge which in turn makes you a better sailor. Hey! Did I give away a secret or something? To give some examples, you watch the surface of the water for wind puffs, the skies for changes (dark clouds coming in or different formations).  Your electronics help by giving you other information about your last sail adjustment, i.e. did the knot meter on board show a plus or a minus to your knotage before? Is the depth sounder showing quick depth changes that might slow you up, caused by undo currents or wave action? This awareness gradually becomes automatic as you strive for other tell-tail signs to bring you ahead.

There is more than just getting addicted to racing. There are those before and after get-togethers, award dinners, and barbecues. It’s the finding of new friendships, boating pals and mates, plus maybe a few of their racing secrets that just tightens it all up. The funny thing is that you don’t have to be rich. Sailboats come in large and small sizes. Even trailerable sizes of 26 feet or so with roomy interiors. These naval architects are working hard for us to give that performance with comfort. A tough combo, but they’re making strides. By going on other sailboats for an afternoon sail, or as crew in a race, you get to feel the different characteristics of other models. Their upwind and downwind abilities, the amount of heeling at certain wind speeds, and other aspects. All this unknowingly makes you a better sailor, giving you the option to look at further destinations. Ones you never imagined.

You can look good lounging on your hotel terrace, but you can look fabulous arriving by yacht. The question is how to achieve this without a)blowing the bank, b)getting sea-sick, and c) falling off.

First, yachts don’t need to be expensive. Consider how much you’ll otherwise spend on a hotel. Look at the number of berths on a boat and make sure you fill them. Split down the costs and surprise yourself. The numbers in your party and the berths on the boat are the most important factor. On the whole you’ll find the bigger your party the better rate you can get. A recently booked skippered charter out of Athens for a group of 10 on a 65ft sailing yacht, including all the food and drink (maybe not all the drink), all taxes, fuel and annoying extras came in at 71EURO per head. Not bad.

What else? If you don’t have a yachtie member of your party who can drive the boat then you can easily hire a local skipper for around GBP100/day. If there’s 6 of you that’s about GBP17 per day – not too distressing for a professional tour guide every day and one who’ll take care of the yacht for you.

What about that sick feeling you get as soon as the wind picks up and you’re supposed to be having a ‘good sail’? Well, there are places where you can avoid this. For example the east coast of Greece is almost entirely protected by the Greek mainland mountains, which also create a reliable afternoon sea breeze to waft you gently into the next port. The breeze takes half the day to develop so you can get in some proper sun-bathing time in the morning or just visit the picturesque town you’ve berthed in, then you can go for a sail (little waves only) in the afternoon. And best of all, once the sun goes down, so does the wind. Just in time to enjoy a gin and tonic sundowner, not a hair out of place. Who’s the yachtie now?

If you holiday in the winter then top up on the tan in those long, wan winter months by visiting to the British Virgin islands. Protected waters, sunny, food and drink at every stop, blue waters and bath-temperature seas. Not to mention stunningly beautiful coral reefs. A trip to the BVIs in November or December followed by skiing in March (or the other way around) must be the ultimate ‘winter blues’ remedy.

Any other top tips? Well, for the Caribbean I can recommend a catamaran, not a monohull, charter. It’s cat country out there. Cat’s are faster, more stable, have more space and have a much more ‘normal’ layout if you’re not used to yachts. The Med is slightly different. There a catamaran can be more trouble than its worth when you arrive when trying to find a space in those tightly packed meditteranean town quays. Still, it is possible and if you’re keen for a cat and also hiring a skipper then you can let him worry about those kind of details. A good local skipper will find the space in every town quay however packed it may look.

So next time you come back from holiday, don’t say “i’m just back from holiday”, try “i’ve been holidaying on my yacht”. Well, it is yours for a week or two. Now how does that sound?

Rig type and sail plan go hand-in-hand. Typically, there is a trade off between ease of sail handling and safety/flexibility. For example, a cat rigged boat with one large mainsail and no headsail (think Laser) is very easy to handle by one person, since there is only one sail. If you are day sailing in a small lake or close to shore where you can take cover if things heat up, this is a great rig–simple, easy to handle, quick to set up. However, it is not a very flexible design, since the sail can’t be reefed in big blows. A standard Marconi sloop is one step above in flexibility since it adds a second (head) sail that can be changed in size to accommodate wind velocity changes. In addition, these rigs today almost invariably offer roller-furling of at least the headsail, if not both sails, making on-the-fly adjustments simple and easy. This is certainly a rig with enough flexibility for stronger wind.

The tradeoff is that you have now added a second sail to handle, change, and furl. Moreover, the sloop is still pretty limited in terms of the changes you can make to sail plans. The cutter rig is the next step up in flexibility with 2 headsails and typically a much smaller mainsail. This configuration allows for significantly greater variations in sail configuration and a much wider spectrum on wind ranges within which the boat can comfortably be sailed. The tradeoff is a third sail to manage. Finally, the double-masted designs–ketchs and yawls–provide the greatest level of flexibility and therefore the greatest range of wind velocities to comfortably sail through. The obvious disadvantage is complication–2 masts, 4-6 sails. For my money, the sloop wins for Bay, Great Lakes and Coastal sailing, while I would want at least a cutter rig for ocean passages, with the ketch and yawl being that much better.

Keels are the next consideration with two primary questions–how deep and what kind. Deep keels allow for more stability (less heel) and greater angles to weather (into the wind), but limit the places you can safely sail without running aground. For me, the depth question is easy–racers should opt for the deepest keel practical for their sailing area, the difference on windward legs can be dramatic. I would recommend deep keels to anyone else who spends a lot of time beating to windward (whoever that may be). For everyone else, the shallower the better–more cruising grounds, more safe anchorages and less chance of hitting something as you go. As for type, if you are doing offshore passages or even long coastal passages, I recommend a full keel–the boat tracks better and gets much better “holding” than a shallow keel. Alternatively, if you do a lot of close quarters maneuvering, I would NOT get a full keel and instead opt for the fin keel.

Interior accommodations range from practically nothing in race shells, to full blown luxury (microwave ovens, flat panel TV’s, DVD players). The simple rule is to match the sailing type to the interior type. My guess is for all but the hard core racer, budget will dictate here (more on this in Part III).

Finally, consider the overall hull type. I examine two dimensions: SA/D (sail area to displacement ratio) for overall speed estimate and D/L (displacement to length ratio) for overall stability and maneuverability. Neither is a perfect measure and manufacturers have a tendency to fudge the numbers (but that is a different article), but they are a good general reference point.

In summary, the first step in buying a sailboat that will make you happy is to know exactly and in great detail how you will use the boat. The second step is to identify the characteristics of a boat that will best match your usage and start looking for boats with those characteristics.

A crewed boat also ensures that you have everything that you need from accommodation, food, and even entertainment are available. Here, all you have to do is to sit back and relax and enjoy the beauty of the surroundings while listening to the relaxing waters as it laps to the side of the boat.

If you want more adventure, opt for a bareboat. A “bareboat” is a boat that you can rent filled with all the things and amenities needed for sailing without the crew. If you go on sailing vacations in the US using bareboat, it means that you need to have sailing experience.

If you think that your knowledge in sailing is not enough despite your experience, you can enroll in various sailing lessons to enrich the information that you have. During lessons, you will be given first hand information on sailing and hands-on experience on it. It is always best to attend sailing lessons before going on sailing vacations in the US to ensure that you would know what and what not to do especially in cases of emergency.

Packing tips for sailing vacation in the US

Aside from educating yourself about your sailing destination, one of the things that you should consider before going on sailing vacations in the US is what are the things to pack. Bringing the things that you need would ensure that you will not miss out on something that is an integral part of your whole trip.

The following are just some of the things that you need to pack for sailing vacations in the US:

1. Travel documents – Since you’ll be going to another territory, you will need documents that will support your identity such as passport and the sailing charter paperwork. Upon booking for sailing vacations in the US, you will be given a confirmation packet.Bring photocopies of your travel documents in case of emergency or in cases it will be needed during visit to different islands.

2. Storage – This should always be kept in mind because you need to limit it as much as possible. Bear in mind that hard-sided suitcases are not ideal since they are big and bulky. Opt for durable duffel bags because these can be folded when not in use.

3. What to wear – Depending on the average weather condition of your vacation destination, the number of clothes should also be kept to a minimum. It is ideal to keep a pair of shorts, shirts, walking shoes, sandals, swimsuit, underwear sleepwear, toiletries, and towels. The number will depend on the number of days of your stay.

4. Easy to carry bag – This is vital especially if you sailing vacations in the US involve land tour or travel. This easy to carry bag will hold your basic necessities such as wallet with money, a pair of shades, passport, several guide books, bottled water, a bottle of sunscreen for sun protection, powder case, lip balm and other small items you will be needing outside.

However, cruises weren’t quite for me. I felt I wasn’t ready for the large cruise ships quite yet and the large crowds that come with it once you hit the shore. And as for which island, I wasn’t quite keen on Ibiza, which has more of a late night mentality, with casino’s and clubs located throughout. Though it is a stunning island, and there are some private yacht charter trips that go from Ibiza to nearby Formentera within a day, which in fact is quite a relaxing route. One can view Ibiza’s coastline and cliffs and get away from the crowd, finding a cove where you can anchor your yacht for the afternoon.

Still, for the best combination of both, Menorca is still my top choice out of the Balearic Islands. Even with more flights available to Menorca from Gatwick this year than previously, it still felt like Menorca had that calmer easy-going feel to it. Gentle, relaxed and tranquil year round, Menorca is the right combination for all types of visitors. From the relaxed sunbathers to the eager deep sea divers and watersport enthusiasts, attracted by the local cuisine and scenic coastline, it has the best of all worlds, but particularly the one where I want to detach from the faster paced life back in the city.

There are many offers that package holiday villas along with sailing holidays or private yacht charter services in Menorca, but from experience it works best to perhaps pick and choose from each category individually. With single day excursions barely over a hundred euros per person, independently owned local companies such as Go Nautic can not only provide a good price (even by today’s exchange rate standards), but also add the benefit of local experience. It always helps to have someone who knows the nooks and crannies of the coastline and where the best kept secrets are. And of course, a touch of hospitality is always welcome, and having the daily yacht charter excursions include a delicious three course meal, with drinks included was a nice touch.

Should you want it all to yourself though, they also offer weekly charter trips that can take you around the Balearic Islands, which include Mallorca, Menorca, Ibiza and Formentera. Come to think about it, I guess you actually can have it all. Find more out about holidays in Menorca and the various services available from Go Nautic by visiting their website at www.gonautic.com

The coursework options available in this field include:

• Fluids
• Structural Analysis
• Guidance and Control
• Propulsion
• Spacecraft design and testing
• Control system design and theory
• Applied aerodynamics, compressible flow, applied aeronautics
• Mechanics of composites
• Classical dynamics and space mechanics

The research options in Aeronautical Engineering that are available in various universities can be classified broadly as below:

Aerospace Computing:

Development and application of numerical techniques in the design of aerospace products. Methods are developed to solve mathematical models of fluid flow ranging from the linearized potential flow equations to the fully non-linear unsteady Navier-Stokes equations. Systems are used to analyze and design vehicles ranging from sailboats to commercial airliners.

Aero Fluid Mechanics:

Involves the study of the interaction of compressible vortices with aerodynamic surfaces, with emphasis on the noise generated by such interactions. Also dedicated to basic studies of the fundamental properties of turbulent flow. Areas of interest include measurements of the structure of turbulent flames, direct numerical simulation of free shear flows, and use of topological methods for interpretation of complex three-dimensional vector fields.

Aerospace Robotics:

Involves creation of experimental systems for developing advanced robot systems and new control techniques with applications to free-flying space robots, to undersea and air systems, to mobile ground robots, and to industrial automation. Basically an interdepartmental program, with specific application into aerospace.

Aircraft Aerodynamics and Design:

Basic research in applied aerodynamics and aircraft design. Work ranges from the development of computational and experimental methods for aerodynamic analysis to studies of unconventional aircraft concepts and new architectures for multidisciplinary design optimization. Involves studies of unusual aircraft configurations and novel flight control concepts.

Turbulence Simulations:

It is a multidisciplinary research field to develop new turbulence models and associated numerical simulation methodologies that will enable a new paradigm for the design of advanced systems in which turbulence plays a controlling role. Research aims to develop simulation technology capable of dealing with systems as complex as a full jet engine and phenomena as complex as the plasma turbulence of a Hall thruster.

GPS & Navigation:

Involved is studying and building systems for vehicle navigation and attitude determination. Since the GPS satellite navigation system became operational in 1993, there is increasing interest in an array of applications for this technology.

Guidance and Control:

Guidance and Control includes a wide spectrum of specialized research for making and testing novel instruments and control systems of extremely high precision. Applications include aerospace vehicle guidance and control, sensing instrument development and applications, internal combustion engine feedback for improved efficiency and reduced pollution, robotics for manufacturing and operations in space, precision engineering and fabrication, and ultra-precision machine tool design and development.

Hybrid Systems:

Hybrid Systems Research involves designing algorithms for the analysis and control of complex aerodynamic systems. Research ranges from systems design and control for the next generation of Air Traffic Systems, through the development of algorithms for automatic flight-mode switching in flight management systems, to the design and control of a team of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles.

Structures and Composites:

Research encompasses composite structural design, including vibration, stability, impact damage, and environmental effects; biological applications of composites; grid structures; composites in sports equipment; composite manufacturing; fiber optic and piezoelectric sensors; structural health monitoring; and smart structures.