A.P.A.E - Air Cargo Challenge - A competition to represent University of Swansea at this event

Dr Michael Clee is coordinating the team from Swansea (Wales), or should we say prospective team? He is undertaking a small local competition to determine who really is going to represent their university at the Air Cargo Challenge because only one can be sponsored to participate. So far there are two teams with high quality that are working to win this representation. We, as organizers, support this project and we find it an excellent initiative. We asked Dr. Michael Clee to write an article about this and here it is.

University Of Wales Swansea Mini Air Cargo Challenge

As part of the level three Aerospace Engineering Programs at the University of Wales Swansea the students are required to work in groups of 4 to 6 to complete a design project. The aim of this project is predominantly to introduce the students to the concept of working in teams to fulfil a design specification. The projects are usually linked to industrial partners and encourage the teams to work with project and business plans and culminating in a presentation with question and answer sessions.

This session saw two of the groups designing UAV’s for counter surveillance applications. The eight students in these two groups looked upon this project with considerable enthusiasm and excitement. However, when I muted the idea of changing the design task in order for the possible entry into the “Air Cargo Challenge” the enthusiasm was amplified ten fold. This created a dilemma as the students were already one third to one half ways through the design of their UAV’s. Consequently neither team was keen to drop their design concept and form one larger team to concentrate on the design of one plane for the competition.

I realised then that the only way forward was to introduce a competitive approach in the university. Hence the “Mini Air Cargo Challenge” was born the format of which mirrors the “Air Cargo Challenge”. The two teams are required to design and build an aircraft for entry to the “Air Cargo Challenge” which will then be assessed by a panel of academics from within the School of Engineering. The assessment will be based on the competition assessment and the wining aircraft will be the one to go to Lisbon for the proper “Air Cargo Challenge”.

And Finally Some Quotes from the Students

"designing a radio controlled aircraft that can take off in no more than sixty metres with the heaviest load possible, complete a flight pattern and land safely presents of challenges”

“after some deliberation the decision was made to undertake a design that closely resembled a cargo aircraft”

“initial research included aerodynamics, flight control systems, airframe design, construction techniques, material selection, and flight dynamics”

And my Favourite

“the main outcome from the initial research meetings was to build an aircraft as light and stiff as possible to enable the maximum weight to be carried”

Dr Michael Clee

University of Wales Swansea