AIAA Student Design, Build, and Fly
Overview
On April 23–25, 1999, 11 schools participated in the third annual Design/Build/Fly Competition. The event was sponsored by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) and Cessna Aircraft, supported by the Office of Naval Research, and was run under the auspices of the AMA.
The contest was hosted by the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division at Patuxent River, MD, and was held at the Navy's nearby Webster Field in St. Inigoes, MD — home of the VC-6 Unmanned Air Vehicle (UAV) squadron.
Requirements
Each team of college students was required to design and build a radio-control electric-powered aircraft that:
- Used conventional Ni-Cd cells.
- Had a wingspan of nine feet or less.
- Could take off in less than 100 feet.
- Could carry a payload of water ballast such that total weight with ballast did not exceed the AMA model airplane limit of 55 pounds.
Thirty-seven teams originally signed up for the contest, and 27 teams completed the written reports required to participate. At least four teams suffered crashes days before the event, reducing the number of competing designs to 12 (Oklahoma State University fielded two aircraft).
Competition format
The aircraft were required to fly a simple racetrack pattern with a 360° turn in the middle of the downwind leg, land, and taxi back to the starting point while carrying water ballast.
Teams had 10 minutes in which to make as many sorties as possible. The total amount of water carried during that time was weighed; that total weight was then multiplied by the score assigned to each team's written report, yielding the final score.
Timing began on the first takeoff roll and continued until the 10 minutes were up or the aircraft was unable to continue for any reason. Individual sorties could be disqualified for takeoffs longer than 100 feet, dropped ballast, running off the taxiway, and other specified circumstances until the aircraft was returned to the starting point for another try.
Awards of $2,500, $1,500, and $1,000 were given to the schools of the first-, second-, and third-place winners.
Weather and scheduling
Thunderstorms on Friday disrupted airline schedules, causing several groups to arrive late and delaying some qualifying flights.
Saturday began in the low 40s with a brisk wind, which kept most teams on the ground waiting for calmer air. By mid-afternoon the temperature warmed and the wind settled, allowing more flights.
Sunday started warmer with generally good wind conditions, though the wind shifted direction several times an hour and made crosswind takeoffs the norm.
Notable performances and incidents
- Queen's University (Ontario, Canada) completed the first two successful 10-minute periods of the day on Saturday: first with four sorties totaling 10.5 pounds, then with six sorties totaling 18 pounds. The team used a clever sliding fairing over the aft fuselage to remove and insert a bottle of water in just a few seconds.
- The Aggie Aquanauts of Oklahoma State University carried 18.5 pounds of water in a single sortie.
- California Polytechnic's Bahama Mama carried 19.5 pounds in one hop before the landing gear was damaged.
- Texas A&M University (which had the highest written report score) flew five sorties with its Texas Flash Flood for a total of 42.5 pounds on Saturday, setting the standard for others that day.
Mechanical problems affected several teams:
- The University of Southern California team's H2OT Shark lost a small set screw that was sucked up by a motor, causing the motor to burn up in flight and the aircraft to crash-land in the midfield grass.
- Utah State University's aircraft initially had slightly out-of-balance outboard props, causing the right wing motor to vibrate off in flight; the team landed safely and repaired the aircraft the next morning.
- Georgia Institute of Technology crashed its original Magic Carpet aircraft just days before the competition but built a new aircraft (Magic Carpet Lite) from scratch in about 50 hours. The new model was loaded into a car at 1 a.m. on Saturday, driven to the contest, demonstrated that afternoon, and competed the next morning.
Sunday results:
- The Aggie Aquanauts flew three sorties for a total of 71.5 pounds.
- Utah State's Dragon Fly (with balanced props) flew five sorties for 73.5 pounds, and later flew once more for a remarkable total of 104 pounds of water transported in six sorties.
Many teams used multiple sorties and practiced fast pit stops to minimize ground time. Teams with no chance to top the leaders still strove to improve their own scores, and as many as five schools were waiting to fly toward the end of Sunday afternoon.
Observations
Although the original intent of the competition was for students to apply engineering talents to a design goal, participants also learned how to organize a team and how important attention to detail can be. Many teams could have done much better if not for small issues such as nose wheel steering problems, a center of gravity slightly aft, a loose prop nut, or other minor faults that kept them on the ground.
Despite competition, teams frequently helped others in need of tools or materials. The contest's greatest success will be realized when these students take the lessons they learned here into the real world as the next generation of engineers.
Acknowledgments
Special thanks to the volunteers who assisted in the event:
- Greg Page (ITT Systems) and Don Polk (Office of Naval Research)
- Brian Richardet and David Levy (Cessna Aircraft Co.)
- AAAA Foundation director Ray Chatman
- AMA contest director Chris Bovais
- Webster Field organizer Len Parrish
- Judge Dr. Stan Powell
- Contest Web site administrator Michael Selig
- Patuxent River Commander Captain Paul Roberts
- VC-6 officer-in-charge Commander Herb Yee
- Members of the VC-6 UAV squadron, who provided meals for everyone during the day
Further information
For more information about this event and other AIAA activities, go to www.aiaa.org and follow the links to the student design competitions, or go directly to amber.aee.uiuc.edu/~aiaadbf for the rules of next year's contest.
Tony Arak 21640 Atlanta St. Lexington Park, MD 20653
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
