PROTOTYPE 2 COMPLETE IN 7 DAYS!!!

With a lot of hard work and long days, the second prototype has been completed in seven days! New tools were created to ensure the wings are mounted properly to help prevent another crash, and the stability margin has been reduced to make the plane more responsive. Thanks to everyone on the team who contributed their time and effort into making this happen!

Prototype 1 First Flight Attempt

Prototype was flown for the first time today after several attempts which were thwarted due to problems with the front landing gear. Unfortunately the results were not as good as we hoped. The plane had some fundamental problems which were discovered during flight. The plane took off very steadily then climbed and started turning left. When it finally reached altitude it continued to yaw left despite the pilot applying full right aileron until it ruddered into a corkscrew dive which was un-recoverable. The flight video is below.

A post crash analysis found the wings were mounted at the incorrect angle and the plane was also overly stable. A new prototype has begun construction immediately to correct these issues.

E-Day a success, report finished, and first flight scheduled!!!

With everyone's help we were able to complete Prototype 1 in time for E-day, making for a successful event! A special thanks goes to all who lent their hands and minds to the design/manufacture of the plane as well as setting up for E-Day. We had lots of visitors throughout the day with a lot of great questions and received tons of support. It was great to see all the people stop by and wish us luck on the competition, and admire our creation. Here are some photos below from throughout the day:

Also another major milestone has been passed with the completion of the competition report. After many sleepless nights and contributions from several individuals (including Dr. Smith and Dr. Lebeau who helped provide several revisions) the report was submitted Monday March 1st with one day to spare before the deadline. All thats left now is more prototypes, and continuous flight testing!!

On that note, the first flight has been scheduled for Monday March 8 at approximately noon. The results of the first flight are being anxiously awaited, and will be posted as soon as possible!!

Thanks again for all your support!!