Normally, the runway at R.J. Corman Aviation Services’ Lucas Field in Nicholasville, KY accommodates sleek multi-passenger jets, but on May 24, it was used by high school students participating in the 2011 KIAE Wing Design Competition. The event, which was modeled after the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics’ intercollegiate Design/Build/Fly Competition, was the first of its kind to be held among high school students and was coordinated by the University of Kentucky College of Engineering through a grant from NASA’s Kentucky Space Grant Consortium. R.J. Corman Aviation Services hosted the approximately 125 students, faculty and volunteers in attendance.
KIAE, the Kentucky Institute for Aerospace Education, is a network of 12 high schools from across the state whose mission is “to improve student learning in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) and create career pathways in aerospace throughout the Commonwealth of Kentucky.” KIAE Chief Executive Officer Tim Smith applauded the collaboration necessary for such an undertaking. “The first year of the Wing Design Competition would not have occurred without the distributed leadership of KIAE, the UK College of Engineering, NASA Kentucky and R.J. Corman Aviation Services,” he said, “It provided students with an authentic environment to learn and apply mathematics and science in the context of aeronautics and engineering.”
In early 2011, teams received a remote-controlled airplane kit but were instructed to design and construct a wing of their own for the aircraft. To assist teams with their design plans, UK College of Engineering mechanical engineering professors Dr. Jesse Hoagg and Dr. Sean Bailey provided teaching modules on aerodynamics and stability. Students were encouraged to recruit a local remote-controlled vehicle enthusiast to assist them with the plane’s construction and, if necessary, serve as their pilot during the event. Participating crews came from all over the Commonwealth, with some hitting the road at 4 a.m. to reach Lucas Field on time.
Graduate mechanical engineering students Brady Doepke and Michael Thamann designed and facilitated the event based on their own involvement in the annual national Design/Build/Fly Competition, alternatively held in Tucson, AZ and Wichita, KS. “In the intercollegiate D/B/F, teams design and construct an entire plane. We wanted to be able to introduce aeronautical engineering to high school students, scaling the project down to building a wing made sense given the time they had available.” said Thamann.
The winning team was determined by the amount of weight their aircraft could carry with respect to the weight of its wing. Teams experimented throughout the event, adding and subtracting payload via creative innovations such as a water bottle containing gravel and a weighted camera case secured to the bottom of the plane. “Because the scoring was configured around how much the wing could carry, teams had to ask themselves how much they could add without breaking their plane,” said Dr. Hoagg. “The strategic element made for great on-the-spot learning.” Teams also wrote and submitted a 5-10 page paper on the design of their wing, which factored into their overall score.
Although all 12 KIAE schools received kits and ten teams wrote reports, only six teams arrived with planes eligible for the competition. Every plane flew successfully, something which Dr. Suzanne Smith, Director of the Kentucky Space Grant Consortium and professor of mechanical engineering at UK, said illustrated the creativity among the different teams. “One of the biggest lessons the students learned is that there is not only one answer to most engineering challenges. All of the planes had different wing designs, but they all flew. For students to see there is a range of options available for a solving a problem is huge.” Added Doepke, “We were absolutely amazed at how well the students performed. All of the wings were structurally sound and stable and looked great.”
Dr. Janet Lumpp, Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at UK, also commended the teams, citing their collaborative spirit. “All of the teams cheered for every plane when they took off and when they landed, not just for their own planes. Plus, one of the teams with a heavier plane broke their nosegear during the competition and a team that wasn’t flying lent them theirs. So there was great teamwork, even though teams were striving to win.”
In addition to the event itself, remote-controlled vehicle stunt pilot Brendan Jones entertained participants and volunteers with a stunt demonstration using a remote-controlled airplane during lunch, which was provided by NASA’s Kentucky Space Grant Consortium. Another highlight came when R.J. Corman Aviation Services conducted a tour of its facilities and provided the opportunity for everyone in attendance to see its Learjet take off from Lucas Field.
At the close of the day, teams were presented plaques furnished by R. J. Corman Aviation Services. First place went to Muhlenberg County High School, second place to Taylor County High School and third place to Rowan County High School, while Monroe County High School received awards for “Most Payload” and “Most Unique Wing.” South Warren High School won the “Aviator’s Award,” which was based on the judges’ interviews and Danville High School took home “Best Color Scheme.”
Dr. Smith praised the quality of the students’ work and remarked that the collaborative event gave students a taste of a future in aviation. “I overheard one young man who got to sit in the pilot’s seat of the Challenger talking excitedly to someone on his cell phone about what it was like, which underlines another aspect of what made this such a great event: The students didn’t just get to fly their planes, but they also got to talk to professional aviators, experience what it is like to be around an aviation company and imagine similar careers for themselves.”
