THUNDER BAY — A team of Lakehead University engineering students plans to design and build an aircraft.
Four mechanical engineering students will enter the plane in the Society of Automotive Engineers Aero Design competition to be judged in March 2020 in Lakeland, Florida.
Their goal is to construct a bushplane-style craft with short takeoff and landing capability by maximizing the payload/weight ratio.
Team spokesperson Shawn Hsiung said they plan to build a scaled-down plane–only three metres long with a wingspan of three metres–which will be flown by remote control.
It will require a runway only 30 metres long.
"Essentially, we're trying to make an airplane where we can take off and land within one hundred feet...and we want to be able to carry as much payload as possible," Hsiung said.
The aim of the project is to come up with a design that could be adapted for carrying passengers as well as cargo to remote sites in Canada's far north, where landing strips are few and far between.
Hsiung said the team hopes to have the first prototype ready by November.
The group will be in competition with 80 universities from around the globe, but he believes they may have an edge over some of the other teams.
That's because all four began their engineering degree studies at Lakehead with mechanical engineering diplomas from the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology already in their pockets.
"We actually know a lot more about the practical aspects of engineering, and can do hands-on kind of things," Hsiung said.
The team members are in their final year of their program and are required to undertake the project in order to graduate.
But Hsiung said they are also anxious to showcase Lakehead University at the competition.
They are looking for donations from the community to help cover the cost of materials for their aircraft. A Gofundme page has been established for accepting contributions
