Engineering Students Take 7th Place at International Competition
Posted April 15, 1999FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
York, Pennsylvania--Three senior mechanical engineering students at York College of Pennsylvania recently competed in the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) Aero Design East Competition, in Daytona, Florida, an international collegiate competition sponsored by SAE. The students built a radio controlled model aircraft with a ten-foot wing span. Their model took seventh place in the competition which featured approximately 40 other schools.
The competition required engineering students to design, build, and fly an aerodynamic model that lifts the most weight at the lowest cost. This project fulfills the requirements of the engineering curriculum: students must participate in some sort of engineering undertaking to satisfy the requirements of the Senior Design Course under Professor Douglas Walcerz.
The three students make up the "Heavy Lift Aircraft Team" and although the course started in January, design and construction began back in November 1998. The students have to do more than just design, build and fly the aircraft. They are also responsible for financing the materials for the aircraft. Fortunately, they received several donations from various local businesses.
The team used many aeronautical reference texts with a three-dimensional graphics package to create a vivid virtual model. The drawing can be rotated in any dimension to be inspected, and modifications can be made quickly. The program creates drawings of the aircraft that are used to facilitate construction.
"This project requires students to perform engineering design work and calculations as well as planning the financing and presentations. These characters are exactly like what a practicing engineer will see in the real world. This type of industry-like setting helps give students the knowledge and experience they need to become more successful leaders of tomorrow's work force," expressed Mike Hudson, one of the three engineering students.
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