Members of the UAlberta Aero Heavy Lift Group are taking flight to compete against teams from around the world at the SAE Aero Design West competition.
(Edmonton) The Aero Heavy Lift Group is off to Van Nuys, California to represent the Faculty of Engineering at the SAE Aero Design West competition. From April 22 - 24, about 75 student teams from all over the world will test their aircraft and their engineering skills in a demanding competition.
The U of A team has designed and built a remote-controlled plane capable of taking flight with a 20-lbs. payload. One of the challenges of the competition is innovation. The team has designed and built a completely new airplane this year.
"The entire design is different, the body and the fuselage," said Anders Carlstad, a mechanical engineering student and team leader. "The goal was to lessen the weight (the new aircraft weighs a scant 14 lbs.) and improve the speed and aerodynamics. This year we also have two sets of wings. It's not a typical plane."
Other challenges are communication, and time management. Team members are chosen during the summer months, and the details and rules about the competition are released in September. After that, the team breaks into smaller units to start the design process. The building process typically runs between January and March.
It's a lot of work, but there are tangible rewards. Students taking part in projects such as the Aero Heavy Lift Group get to apply the lessons they've learned in classes to real-world problems. What's more senior students pass along knowledge with newer students.
"There are a lot of things in aerodynamics that we don't cover (in classes) until the fourth year of engineering," says Carlstad, adding that junior team members learn lessons before they're taught in the classroom.
"Learning that earlier does help," he said. "By the time you take the courses, you know what each equation is for."
Another benefit is in travelling to competition, meeting other students and seeing different approaches to solving problems.
This year, 11 team members will attend the competition, which run April 21 to 24.