EPQ Session - Wednesday 16th December

In today's mentor led session we looked at types of sourcing and what sources were reliable. We talked about the differences between different types of sourcing such as Web Logs, for example blogs, Wikipedia pages and news pages - the BBC being given as a prime method of reliable data extraction. 

We discussed the benefits of taking data from reliable and un-reliable sources and the dangers of each. For example, some information may log personal opinion and give misleading facts. Adding to this, we talked about how online sources from trusted sources , especially the BBC, specialised books or historical literature, which have some kind of referencing system to find the original source of information.

Common sites like Wikipedia can have great usefulness in extracting information. However they can be altered with false information and are sometimes slightly inaccurate. Also, when getting information from a Wikipedia page, the original reference must be used from where the information was gained in the first place, Wikipedia alone cannot be referenced.  

The method of gathering information was also discussed. For example, skim reading a whole article to get a flavour is highly beneficial. Then, to read the article with ideas correlating to a specific idea is very useful. Perhaps to read an article about air combat but to focus only upon the stresses on the pilot with one read, and then - upon the second time of reading - to focus only upon the aircraft and what the source tells me about that. 

During the next week and a half, I will start to compile all my data about the first section of my project, attaching a plan to the sheet so I can start to link information to each point in my first section to see where each piece of information will be relevant. I am hoping to also do this for the second section of my project, thus meaning by the start of school following the Christmas break I am hoping to have this procedure completed for the Second section of the project and a copious amount of knowledge relating to the final sections of my project and have a decision on what historical periods I will be focusing on pre-World War 2. This will be highly dependent on what my research reveals about how much progress was made in the few years between each outbreak of conflict - for example between Korea and Vietnam.  

UEA Mentoring Session 1 - Monday 7th December, 2015

This week, on Monday 7th December just passed, I attended a EPQ mentoring session along with associates from school. The purpose of the trip to the UEA was to iron out any kinks with my proposed question and complete some further research.

The visit was a fantastic opportunity to access data archives only available within the university campus, thus enabling me to find a multitude of online articles relating to the development of Air combat from all eras of history. It was also useful as in certain articles, first hand testaments to what it was, and can still be, like to fly aircraft in life or death combat situations can be found. I fully intend to use the articles found from my time at the session in my research and final writing of the project as they are accurate and comprehensively portray what life was and can be like for those tasked with flying air craft in combat situations.

Not only this, the trip has helped me to develop my task question, making it more closely linked and relevant to the topic. Also, the inclusion f certain "buzz words" has helped me to more formally structure what kind of information I should be including and what the question is that I am truly trying to answer with my research over the coming months.

The experience also enabled valuable time with students from the university who had already been through the same experience of completing an EPQ, making them useful for highlighting any possible flaws within my base thinking for where I was going with my project. For example, the question was raised that perhaps by going in chronological order, from time period to time period and focusing on how the role of aircraft had developed and changed in each circumstance, was perhaps too vague a question and would be a slightly too large a period to cover. Although, further debate made it clear that my title and the inclusion of the buzz word, 'to what extent' allows me to focus on a breadth study of the entire period and then use this research to draw up a final conclusion at the end of my writing in regards to how far aircraft have developed and that the inclusion of the entire range is vital in answering this question.

Overall, the session was a massive help in researching my area and outlining certain possible flaws that could appear later on in my researching stage. On the other hand it has helped me better formulate my ideas and further 'painted a picture' of the context I will be studying, relevant for background information I can recall upon the actual writing of the project.

More Research and Planning of World War 1 Section.

This week I have been focused on amassing information and further research on what the air combat of World War 1 was like. With this information I have begun to pile together a word document detailing points to touch on when the time comes, hopefully within the next few days or weeks, to write the first section of my EPQ, mainly focusing on pre and during World War 1 era air warfare. Below are certain clips that have especially helped me to determine further what air combat was like, both in the air and on the ground.

The above clip has been especially useful as details the training methods of World War 1 pilots in the movie "Fly Boys". Here we see many primitive methods of training still in use today such as the adaption of G-Force training using, in this case, a wooden chair. Plus, it has James Franco starring as the main pilot.

This video is just one example of many a battle scene within the same movie flyboys. Here we can see some top class acting but on a more important and relevant note some of the problems of early aircraft and the gung-ho attitude used by most of the pilots. Here we also see some tactics vital to the writing of my project.

This last video clip has given me an insight into the kind of chivalry between the pilots of all nations in the war. My research has revealed how some historians have opted to call the war of the air "The Last Gentleman's War". This clip summaries this viewpoint beautifully, taken from the renowned movie "The Red Baron" as German fighters attend the funeral of that of a downed English pilot, leaving the message on a reef "To a friend and enemy" with the name of the downed airman. It is said that, upon the death of the Red Baron, all the allied troops raised a glass to the life of Von Richthofen. In addition to this it further gives an insight into air combat tactics that were used in the battle scene of the clip and introduces one of the main figures of World War 1 air combat, the infamous Manfred Von Richthofen, more commonly called the Red Baron.

So far, I am almost ready to begin writing my section on World War 1 air combat, needing only slight more research and a deeper plan of what exactly I should be writing.