TerraBreak.org: An independent Design/Build/Fly (DBF) support site

After five glorious years at Virginia Tech, including 3 years on the VT DBF team, Tim was ceremoniously kicked out of school with two expensive pieces of paper: a diploma, and a job offer. He is now a "Software Engineer" at NLX Corporation (now a Rockwell Collins Company) performing flight controls duties on the TH-57C FIT SLEP. In his spare time... wait, what spare time!?

DBF has been an interesting experience for Tim, starting with his dad finding the VT DBF 96-97 page and telling him to join. Gymanstics intervened, and Tim didn't find DBF again until his *first* junior year. Where he went from a junior microbe volunteer to the team leader in 3 months, escorted by two consecutive D's in consecutive aerodynamics classes. The upshot? Tim gets to take an extra year and build another DBF plane, oh, and learn that aerodynamics stuff better too. Now, as a graduate, he's decided to help improve the caliber and experience of every team that enters the Cessna/ONR AIAA Design/Build/Fly competition; especially new teams that can be semi-overwhelmed by the process their first year out.

It took Mike a total of 6 years to get through the Aerospace Engineering program at Virginia Tech. After a year and a half of struggling, his advisor's exact words were: "there is nothing in the record that indicates any tendency for you to succeed in any area of engineering" (aren't email archives a wonderful thing?). Mike responded by completing his last two years at Tech on the Dean's List. He was ceremoniously kicked out of school with one expensive piece of paper, and planned to pursue a second expensive piece of paper. Instead, he too was picked up by NLX Corporation Rockwell Collins to fulfill Software Engineering duties; first working on an RC-135 Rivet Joint simulator, and now working on the venerable B-52 Bomber.

Mike completed two years with the VT DBF team after returning to fulltime student status. He is famous for asking: "So, how involved in DBF can someone get?" Tim: "*Chuckle* You can get as involved in DBF as you want, from coming once a week, to a point where you'll wake up with epoxy under your fingernails." Mike eventually got sucked up to his eyeballs in the aforementioned stuff. He has helped embody and inspire the "never-say-die" spirit begun by the members of the 2000-2001 VT DBF team that continues in the team today. His quick humor, relaxed attitude, and love of beer have helped to keep DBF a fun and enjoyable experience.

Bev is something of an enigma within the ranks of the original TerraBreak.org staff. She actually managed to complete her Bachelor's degree in Aerospace Engineering within the allotted four years from Virginia Tech (Summa Cum Laude, no less)! Don't be fooled though, she managed to find plenty of time to stop and smell the flowers. She went and extended her academic faculties by earning a Master's degree in the aforementioned discipline at the University of Maryland. At which point, she has declared an end to her organized education.

Bev joined DBF in her Junior year at 'Tech, along with a bunch of her other junior engineer friends. She was prodded into taking over the leadership of the team, since she had proven leadership and organizational skills from previous & concurrent engineering leadership positions. While the team's performance wasn't as spectacular as year's past, Bev survived the ordeal, including van-hood-plier-impalement, with flying colors. Being a significant other to one of TerraBreak's founding members has implicitly made her staff, even though she has explicitly declared a desire to help support the venture. Her knack for organization, deadlines, and theoretical understanding will be a counterbalance to the machinations that develop around Mike and Tim.

Larry truly has broken the mold for TerraBreak Staff. He has actually been kicked out of two different schools, with three expensive pieces of paper ... even though Harmony almost made it four. His first school was the distinguished Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where Larry learned a very important lesson: "Never again." His four years there cemented his philosophy of "don't sweat it" ... which he freely taught to any student during his Master's Degree studies at Virginia Tech. He has directed Mike and Tim as associate directors of that school of thought. These studies lead to a breif stint in the government working world out at Patuxent River, doing all kinds of cool and crazy stuff for the Navy. He's since bounded home to work for ill-fated Adam Aircraft. He's now working for a small composites firm near Denver.

Larry first joined the infamous MIT DBF team, which everyone likesused to claim they beat each year .(they often don't make it to competition). Larry made up for spending too much time on his studies as an undergrad by being incredibly active in DBF as a grad. He brought to the team a couple of aspects which had been lacking: Structural Design and Analysis as well as a comprehensive knowledge of composites. As such he is an important asset to the TerraBreak.org team, since he can literally see load paths, and failure points ... and has been known to cite extended portions of structures textbooks from memory. The final aspect is Larry's exuberance for life, friends, and laughing, which are even more important here at TerraBreak.org. This aspect marks him better than any signature or fingerprint; if Larry's in a building you'll probably know before you enter.

Despite our best efforts, Chase has managed to graduate from Virginia Tech with his expensive piece of paper. In those four years he's witnessed a considerable amount, from the incredible growth of VTDBF from 4 to 40, to the SpaceshipOne test flights in Mojave. Chase is a rare specimen for TerraBreak, he actually parlayed his DBF experience into work experience . . . before he graduated. His internship with those gnarly AeroVironment dudes in California was the envy of most of the TB staff. He has even heeded the 49's call west to work with AV in the land without trees. But, he'll still have a home here with TerraBreak.org.

Chase joined DBF as a freshman, working with Tim, and Mike on team Marooned. He filled a significant and crucial void in the team, being the only person with previous modeling experience. The following year he swallowed the mammoth task of wing design, and learned considerably from the experience. Despite this, he remained a VTDBF member for all his years at Tech, and looks forward to continuing his DBF experiences as a TerraBreak member. Chase's modeling experience will be a welcome addition. But more important to the staff is Chase's enormous heart, affability, and his ability to soak up all the good-natured ribbing that we send his way.

Mark began his DBF career at Virginia Tech his freshman year, starting with Turbulence Syndrome. He very quickly stood out in the crowd and became known simply as one of the four "Freshmen." These four had their act together and we had high hopes for when they were in leadership roles. As an Ex-Freshman, the team discovered that Mark was quite the unique engineer. It turns out that he could read good, and write even gooder! In his first Ex-Freshman year, he took the position of Report coordinator resulting in VTDBF receiving the 2nd highest report score! The die had been cast, and Mark's niche had been found. Our reports were better every year because of Mark's involvement. But that's not to say he was chained to a computer all year (well, other than schoolwork). He could always be counted on when real work needed to be done. Just like his involvement in the notorius Christmas Construction Session over the winter break, where the entire wing of Orange Effect was cut out of the fuselage, moved aft several inches, and remounted. Oops...

Mark was able to pull away from DBF from time to time to do a few other activities, including National Test Pilot School in Mojave, CA, as well as get that oft cited expensive piece of paper... in only 4 years! In addition, his remarkable ability to "acquire" large quantities of dry ice made for some entertaining evenings. After two competitions in Wichita the midwest planes beckoning call lured him to Cedar Rapids, Iowa, working for Rockwell-Collins. Maybe he can do what 17+ teachers couldn't: Teach Tim Grammar.

Made the ill decision to head back into the academic world; and try and torment guide a couple of more DBF teams to victory enlightenment. We still ping them time to time for support/motivation/inspiration.