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As expected, the last couple weeks
of the fall semester, along with the holidays, have not allowed us to make as
much progress on the plane as we would have liked. Nevertheless, we have managed
to complete most of the detailed design and plan to have it finished by January
17th. After that, we will spend a week on any last-minute issues that need to be
addressed before starting the build phase on the 24th. The work we have done so
far has been challenging and sometimes frustrating, but very rewarding. We have
dealt with several changes in the center of gravity (which required major
fuselage redesigns); different airfoil choices; disagreements over the use of
elevators; and changing propulsion and electronics gear. The only major design tasks remaining are to design the landing gear and its mounting points, analyze the CAD
models for strength/weight optimization (using COSMOS and ABACUS), and
integrate the individual teams' work into a single result.
It has been fascinating to see the
overall design evolve. We have developed about a dozen CAD models for the
fuselage alone, each one different and more refined than the last. Starting
from a simple box-like shape, we have gradually molded the design into
something that meets the structural, aerodynamic, performance, and payload needs
of the mission profile. The next two weeks will be interesting: we will really need
to test the concept of web-based teamwork in order to finish the design before
the start of the semester, and several team leaders will be leaving for co-op
positions. However, we are all confident in our ability to
successfully complete the project; we have already accomplished much more than
we could have dreamed of in years past. Look for more updates as we finish the
design and start fabrication.
Have a safe and happy New Year!
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_F2FA076B-AFD5-75BB-493F2E6DA7282313.jpg "Mike Shaw's Avatar"){kind=avatar}
