District IX
JOE PIROZZOLI, from the Arvada Associated Modelers (AAM), submitted this report from Mark Johnson, an aerospace engineering graduate student at the University of Colorado.
Hyperion flight test
A group of engineering students from around the globe convened at the Arvada Associated Modelers Airpark to conduct a three-minute demonstration flight of Hyperion.
Hyperion is the most recently completed graduate project based at the University of Colorado’s Aerospace Engineering Sciences department. Hyperion is an experimental, 10-foot-span composite aircraft designed to demonstrate hybrid power technology on a modified blended-wing platform.
The Hyperion team consists of graduate students from CU as well as the Universities of Stuttgart (Germany) and Sydney (Australia). The team was faced with the challenge of finding a suitable testing site to fly the aircraft. The Arvada Modelers Airpark, located only 20 minutes south of Boulder, Colorado, quickly emerged as the top choice in meeting this objective.
The primary runway was considered necessary for Hyperion: a 750-foot-long, 50-foot-wide, smooth, highway-grade concrete surface that proved to be ideal for flight testing novel aircraft geometry. Combined with the welcoming, curious, and community-oriented club members who accompanied the team at the airpark and advised on safety, these attributes finalized the team’s decision to schedule a test flight.
On the morning of April 23, light snow was falling and the cloud ceiling was low, but winds were adequate for flying. The Hyperion team, accompanied by RC pilot James Mack of Boulder, met at the airfield and promptly conducted a final check-out flight of a half-scale prototype aircraft.
The prototype was launched eastbound and flew perfectly. Satisfied with the results, the team completed final preparations and assembly of Hyperion and started rolling the cameras. After a brief taxi and weight-and-balance check, the aircraft accelerated down the runway and rotated smoothly in a distance of less than 200 feet.
The 45-pound experimental model lifted off and climbed into the air to the cheers of spectators and students alike. After making a few circles north of the runway, the aircraft settled on all three wheels without a scratch as it rolled down the 750-foot runway.
The Hyperion team documented several lessons learned from this project, aside from the design tasks of the project itself. The logistics of flying — from weather limits to personnel coordination to FAA requirements — all came into play as the project entered the flight-test phase early this year.
Having a helpful ground crew of experienced modelers, like the group at AAM, proved to be a huge help in making the final demonstration of this project a success.
Arvada Associated Modelers (AAM)
Arvada Associated Modelers is an AMA Gold Leader Club that is dedicated to community service both in the City of Arvada and the surrounding Denver metropolitan area. The Arvada Air Park is a city-owned facility that is managed and maintained by AAM through its lease with Arvada. AAM has been involved with the University of Colorado Aerospace Engineering Sciences department and its students for many years. AAM has proudly and enthusiastically supported, facilitated, and participated in numerous experiments and student projects related to the university’s Aerospace Engineering program.
Scout partnership — Rocket launch with Arvada Troop 999
Partnering with Scouts is always enjoyable and rewarding. Here is another AAM project that Rod Sage sent in from Arvada.
After a week of soaking rain, the morning dawned cool, calm, and overcast, but that didn’t stop the well-over-80 people representing Arvada Troop 999 who showed up at our West Field for a huge and successful launch.
Five fellow club members were present to help, and the organizers of this event did a terrific job of setting up and guiding over 225 rocket launches. Out of all those, only five didn’t come down.
If you have never helped or participated in one of these events, you have really missed something. These are a lot of fun, and it is cool to watch these kids fly their own creations.
When you see these kids scrambling for their rockets in the brush, you can understand the concern about rattlesnakes. It’s a nice feeling knowing that our club can provide a venue for events like this.
The Arvada Fire Department came with two trucks to make sure there would be no fire danger, and all of the people there had a blast. Our hats are off to all of the people who helped with this event.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
