SAE Aero Design

SAE Aero Design, also called the SAE Aero Collegiate Design Series, is a series of competitive mechanical engineering events held in the United States and Brazil every year. It is organized by the Society of Automotive Engineers in collaboration with pioneer companies like Lockheed Martin, Boeing, NASA, General Motors etc.

The SAE Aero Design is a competition is intended to provide undergraduate and graduate engineering students with a real-life engineering exercise. The nature of this design competition that require students to perform trade studies and make compromises to arrive at a solution that will optimally meet the mission requirements while still adhering to the limitations. (http://students.sae.org/competitions/aerodesign/about.htm)

Aero Design features three classes of competition—Regular, Advance, and Micro. 

"The SkyHawks" (2013) is participating in the Regular Class event of the competition in the 2013 edition of Aero Design East to be held at Fort worth, Texas, USA.

 

 

Regular Class: Problem Statement   

The objective of the Regular Class is to design and fabricate an aircraft that can lift maximum possible weight under given constraints. Accurately predicting the payload carrying capability of the aircraft is an important part of the exercise, as prediction bonus points often determine the difference in placement between competing teams. A high percentage of a team's score is also devoted to the design report and the oral presentation required in the competition.

L+B+H < 225 inches

Maximum weight of aircraft (with payload) < 65lbs

Power plant: OS-61 FX/MAGNUM Engine

The main sponsor of the event, Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co. provides pilots and other technical assistance in evaluating the various teams by means of a report submitted a month in advance as well as a viva when inspecting the aircraft.