Play hard, work hard. In my opinion, the world is a playground. Hence, I tried my luck at Formula 1, Space, Helicopters, tiltrotors, travelling, and NGOing. I enjoyed each experience. I just don’t learn fast enough. Now, I am more grown up and wiser, as shown by the PhD. The vast amounts of knowledge to be consumed and learnt are simply too much for a lifetime. Timing is such as important factor… So often, I was in the right place at the wrong time.
Good books for any systems engineer
In 2008, if only I could apply the concepts gained through my PhD. Aerodynamics would have been engaging with the port-Hamiltonian approach. I was limited by Cartesian, which is so 1 dimensional in thinking. If my thinking included Lagrangian, and in the context of acausal dynamic simulation. That click would have been a lot more quicker. There would have been less confusion during my time there. (What am I?, Why am I?, Where am I?, Who am I?)
In 2009, I was proficient in the statistical energy approach, but I only encountered health usage monitoring systems in helicopters in 2011 and machine learning in 2016, pattern recognition was there. These concepts would have impacted the graduate mechanical vibration engineer role at the European Space Agency. That would have been fun.
In 2010, if only I hang out at the Mountain View Hotel buffet in Nepal more often to build my NGO contacts, I could have had a different career. I wanted to get a UN passport, to be a citizen of the world, make it a better place (I was naive). I was very introvert those days.
I collected exciting topics, from driveline simulation of a Formula 1 car, helicopter transmission vibration analysis, flight simulation data conditioning, tilt-rotor transition assembly, to machine learning, thermodynamics and robotics. All these topics are really challenging to master, I needed years to really understand the Acausal approach to simulation when I needed months. In hindsight, My thinking was very causal. I.e. each knowledge / subject was within close proximity of each other, i.e. one theory lead to another. Perhaps a larger mind map or a big-picture understanding would enable me to be a better version of myself. I guess hindsight is a wonderful thing, which topics would you like to know for your past self? Lottery numbers and football scores are not eligible and are clearly against the ethics of time travel.
My favourite role was conditioning the test flight data to make sure it is compatible with the flight simulator, which met the Joint Aviation Regulation requirements. Pilots do not need to stick an “L” plate onto the helicopter. The first moment when they are in the cockpit can deal with all the required eventualities.
Adventures of Delboy 