Week of May 05, 2008
A team of aerospace engineering students from California State University, Long Beach (CSULB) recently captured second place overall in the SAE International Aero Design East Competition with its micro plane entry, beating out competitors from Yale University, Warsaw (Poland) University of Technology and Polytechnic University of Puerto Rico.
The three-person team of senior David Algarin, graduate student and team captain Dan Dougherty and junior Adam Vore also took third place in the micro plane class for its oral report and presentation at the competition.
Determination of the winners included the top three highest scores for design, oral presentation and flight. CSULB's unique "tailless" flying wing design, which featured a "belly flap" control surface underneath the wing for increased lift and faster takeoff, was powered by an electric motor. The six-foot span flying wing carried 2.5 pounds on its test flight, garnering the third highest score in the micro class division.
"This Aero Design competition is just as competitive and intense as any physical sport," noted Dougherty, who works as a conceptual designer for Northrop Grumman. "This competition is difficult in that it taxes you mentally and physically because you're trying to make critical design and fabrication decisions right up to the last days before the event.
"But I think these contests are critical, and the team is grateful for the support from Professor Hamid Hefazi and the entire (Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering -- MAE) department, which made it possible for us to compete," he added. "Our team has proven that CSULB is a top competitor against some of the best technical universities from around the world."
The Aero Design® competition is intended to provide undergraduate and graduate engineering students with a real-life engineering exercise and is designed to provide exposure to the kinds of situations that engineers face in the work environment.
"This significant achievement by our students is a testament to the quality of education in our college," said Hefazi, who is the chair of the MAE Department. "CSULB's aerospace engineering program is at par with the best in the country."
This is the first year the team has competed in both SAE Aero Design East and SAE Aero Design West competitions. At the West contest in early April, the CSULB team captured first-place honors for its micro class oral presentation, continuing a successful run that began with a first-place overall award for the debut of a tailless flying wing design in the open class contest during 2007.