Fifteen students from Florida Tech’s chapter of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) recently competed at the SAE Aero Design East Competition, where their RC Plane Team flew a remote-controlled aircraft they designed and built against teams from around the world.
This was the team’s first appearance at the international event held in Lakeland, Fla., in early March. For many members, it was also their first time working with RC aircraft and aircraft design. Still, they successfully designed, built and flew their aircraft, which they named The Pink Panther, throughout the competition.
The event provided hands-on experience in aerodynamics, structures, manufacturing, computer-aided design (CAD), and electronics and systems integration while strengthening teamwork and project management skills. It also gave team captain Daniel Roque a lesson in leading his team to success.
“I learned what it takes to lead a team of this size for a project of this complexity,” Roque said. “It was an incredible learning experience.”
Students also connected with competitors from across the United States, Canada and Brazil. And just days after returning home, the team is already planning improvements for next year’s competition.
“The team thanks the College of Engineering and Sciences for their support and everything they did to help the team get to the competition,” Roque said. “The team is already thinking of new designs, materials, configurations, processes and components to do better next year.”
