The 2015 Aviation Design Challenge Team.
The contest parameters were similar to those used last year. Essentially, students are to modify a Glasair 2+2 Sportsman aircraft in such a way that they can fly a specified route with 2000 pounds of payload while using as little fuel and as little time as possible.
Below is an example of a stock Glasair as it appears in the X-Plane flight simulator.
Below is an example of a stock Glasair as it appears in the X-Plane flight simulator.
Demonstrating a real knack for aircraft design, Josh is seen below with one of his many creations. The extent of the modifications are obvious. It really isn't fair to call it a Glasair anymore, and that is the idea of the Design Challenge.
Caleb and Josh demonstrate flying prowess.
The results are in
We learned in May that we did not win the 2015 Aviation Design Challenge. We had thought that we would be serious contenders. The aircraft design submitted by our group was a dramatic modification of the original aircraft, the power source was imaginative on its own, and I think a humdinger when coupled with an anology to Schrodinger's cat. The end result was a scored flight that exceeded one million points! Last year, the winning flight came in under eight hundred points, so you'll understand that we had our hopes up.
We've asked the judges of the contest for some clarification as to their reasons for making the choice they did. We're waiting patiently for a response.
We've asked the judges of the contest for some clarification as to their reasons for making the choice they did. We're waiting patiently for a response.