G is for Gyroscopic Precession
Windlifter stifled a yawn as he settled in front of the computer for the day's work. To be honest, it wasn't nearly as fun teaching his class online as it was in person…but Windlifter had learned long ago that it was important to be like water, ever moving, ever adaptable. So, when the pandemic had hit, he had turned a corner of his family's hangar into his virtual classroom. Well, if he was going to be completely truthful, Tulxata and his two children had created his classroom for him, because his wife had taste and his children knew which cables went where which had left Windlifter with the very important task of ordering take out.
Anyway, teaching online lacked so many of the types of feedback that he loved getting from his students. No matter how hard he stared at the little squares on the screen he couldn't really see the details of their body language and he couldn't hear the little sighs or expressive noises when they constantly stayed on mute. Windlifter had done his best to find joy in the little moments with his family, but he couldn't help but feel incredibly trapped. With his isolation rapidly deepening, Windlifter turned his attention to a source of relief that he knew he could rely on…the constant search for knowledge.
So Windlifter ended up scrolling through the University catalog and selecting a half dozen classes to audit. Some were selected because he found the subject intriguing…others, because the subject somewhat scared him. The Introduction to Physics for Nonmajors was solidly in the latter camp, but he felt it was important for him to learn more about how the world worked even if the math behind it made his brain hurt.
Now three times a week, first thing in the morning, Windlifter would log on to his computer and listen to one of his fellow professors explain the equations behind gravity, motion, and energy. He usually lasted about 15 minutes before his focus started to waver. He would get distracted by a single word and start daydreaming about a poem or musing on a short story. But then, when Windlifter's mind was about to fully wander away from the class in front of him, he would feel soft breath on his ear.
"Good morning, my breeze." Tulxata whispered to him as she nudged a tall mug of freshly brewed coffee in his direction.
"Good morning, my everything." Windlifter whispered back, glad that his camera was off, and the microphone was off as he bent it in to steal a kiss.
Neither helicopter needed to say anymore as they settled in, for their sides were pressed against each other. And for the rest of class Windlifter's mind didn't wander. It didn't need to, for in that moment he had everything he could ever want…a warm cup of coffee and the opportunity to explore the mysteries of the universe with his wife.
Term – Gyroscopic Precession – This is a physics term that refers to how an object's orientation changes its orientation in relationship with its rotational axis. There are two types of Gyroscopic Procession. The first is Torque-Free Gyroscopic Precession which explains how bodies like the planet earth wobble on its axis. The second is Torque-Induced Gyroscopic Precession which is the phenomenon seen in Helicopters. If not managed, Torque-Induced Gyroscopic Precession would cause the entire body of the helicopter to spin and wobble until it either crashed or was torn apart. This is why the tail boom and or other counter rotational systems are so critical in this type of aircraft.