Aerospace Engineering Team Wins First Place in International Competition

The Auburn University Flying Tigers -- a student team of the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering -- placed first overall out of 35 teams in the 2004 Society of Automotive Engineers Aero Design East Competition in Orlando April 16-18.

The Aero Design Competition challenges teams to conceive, design, fabricate, and test a radio-controlled unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that has the ability to take off and land at full cargo capacity.

Auburn's "War Eagle Lifter" earned the award for overall excellence, the traveling trophy, and an award bestowed by fellow competitors on the team exhibiting the highest degree of professionalism.

"Our students worked extremely hard to design and build a great airplane and had a lot of confidence in their design ... they were determined to finish in high standing," says John Cochran, aerospace engineering department head.

"I wanted to participate in this project because I love airplanes," says Adam McLarty, team captain and a master's candidate in aerospace engineering from Sioux Falls, S.D. "The competition gave me a chance to see how well I could help engineer a vehicle I had spent the last few years of college learning about."

"I gained knowledge in team guidance and project management, which is a central part of real-world engineering," says one of the team's chief designers Christoph Burger, a doctoral candidate in aerospace engineering from Freiburg, Germany.

Cochran said a major factor in the team's success was the lab work many of the members did with UAVs.

"Considering the fact that the team began work on their vehicle in February and the second place team started last July, it was truly a significant accomplishment," he adds.

"One of the best things about being an engineer is creating something," adds McLarty. "Whether it's a tool, a software program, a car, or a plane, it really makes you feel good when the product of your labor takes shape and performs the functions you designed it for.

"What the team gained from this experience is the ability to meet an engineering challenge."

For information, see:

SAE Aero East Design Competition: http://www.sae.org/students/aeroeast.htm