Year-End Wrap-up

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!