Polish version
3rd place of WUT students in the competition Aerodesign West in Texas
Success of students of Warsaw University of Technology. Students of SAE Scientific Circle, operating at Warsaw University of Technology, designed and built a plane which took the third place in an international competition Aerodesign West in Forth Worth, Texas.
The plane, built by 15 students of Warsaw University of Technology, lifted the mass of 0.8kg, which gave it the third place. The model was entered to the micro class and it is a small aircraft of 1.5m wing span. Their success is even greater as this was the first time SAE group students took part in this class of planes.
The team stays in the United States for the eastern edition of the competition, during which they will compete against, i.a., Brazilian teams, which have been winners for the last few years. In 2007 our team was on the verge of breaking this dominance, though in the end they took the second place – their plane lifted a mass only 2% smaller than the Brazilian model. Moreover, this year they are facing another Polish team for the first time, as the Academic Aircraft Club from Poznan University of Technology has their own representatives.
The Aerodesign competition is organized by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE), which embraces engineers from all over the world. The aim of the competition is to build a model (in one of three classes) of the greatest load-carrying capacity, according to detailed regulations. During their presentation before the actual competition, the participating teams must also convince the jury that the solutions chosen by them are correct. The competition is divided into two independent editions: the eastern and the western one. For years their main sponsor has been Lockheed Martin, the producer of, i.a., F-16 fighters.
The SAE scientific circle is active at Warsaw University of Technology at the Faculty of Power and Aeronautical Engineering. The circle teams have been participating in Aerodesign competitions since 1991 and they have enjoyed great success, including three first places in a row – this result was only matched by a team from the prestigious American university Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MiT).
The website of SAE scientific circle: www.aerodesign.meil.pw.edu.pl
Photographs from the competition: www.saemeil.smugmug.com
