A Quick 2005-2006 Cessna/ONR/AIAA Design/Build/Fly Competition Wrap-Up

One word, above all others, describes this year's competition: Preparedness. Of the 49 teams that submitted reports, 40 made it through tech inspection; the most ever. This year saw the flight line brimming with teams ready to fly all weekend. Good flying weather, including uncharacteristically mild Wichita winds, made for non-stop flying. There was even an informal queue set up early in the mornings before the pilots' briefing and the opening of the official queue. Our hats are off to everyone; you've really raised the bar. No longer can teams work out a few minor last minute bugs in their aircraft at competition and expect to place near the front of the pack. Aircraft must work literally out of the box once you get to competition.

Running away with top finish this year was OSU Black, almost doubling any other score. OSU Orange brought up a solid second place with Cal Poly SLO close on their heals to round out the podium. These teams show that if you take preparedness, focus, optimization, and persistence and it's hard to lose. 1-2 finishes for the third year in a row and best report score show that Dr. Arena and his students at OSU have internalized these concepts. We have it from a good source that each OSU team built/rebuilt at least 4 planes between January and April. Never underestimate the value of revisions and testing in the design process. Having one of the best pilots doesn't hurt either. Just outside the money finishes was the kick-ass group of students from Washington State. They've got the competition figured out too, and impressed us when we talked to them. They've been through the trials and tribulations of being a new team; the question is now: "Can they keep the momentum going?" We look forward to finding out in 2007.

MIT. Wow, what a showing. For having scoffed off DBF for 5 years, they came roaring back with a vengeance (and three teams). Other than OSU, we can't recall the last time we've seen multi-team units do as well at competition as MIT and the University of Texas. It was enjoyable to see Dr. Maughmer's burgeoning enthusiasm for DBF through his participation with UT. Their three teams were well prepared and able to capitalize on the incredible pilot skills of Rip Rippey to bring them three solid finishes. Hopefully Dr. Maughmer will carry that enthusiasm back to PSU with him.

Some of the other teams that made an impression on us were the rebuild efforts of Colorado, VT, and Wichita after rekitting their aircraft. Colorado's efforts are especially interesting for us, considering the aeroelasticity shot that Mike caught of them just prior to obliteration. They came back Sunday with a rebuilt airplane and a significant reduction in their tail flexibility through the most interesting use of tongue depressors since elementary school. Unfortunately, our Alma Mata suffered from a variety of issues that kept them from fully realizing their aircraft's potential. We're glad to see that VT's "never say die" attitude has endured. Also, the ingenuity of Technion has continued to turn heads. Although their aircraft was more traditional than last year's miniature flying wing, it was by no means conventional and a great impersonation of a stingray. They always put a great amount of creative innovation into their designs and it pays off. Also, the use of rip-stop nylon for covering particularly caught our eye. Very cool. Finally, OU's second year at competition provided one of the most visually arresting designs. Their three-fuselage behemoth flew quite well and was fun to watch in the sky. And stable! They lost several tennis balls mid-flight at a significant altitude and still recovered the airplane. The ingenuity and tenacity required to be successful with something so ambitious in their second year deserves commendation.

We here at TerraBreak would like to thank all the judges for their efforts. This competition has grown significantly beyond its infancy and requires even more work as a result. Our hats are especially off to Greg Page for running and organizing another smooth competition and Chris Bovais for keeping the flight line safe and efficient. Thanks also to all the competition pilots for their incredible skill at handling what can sometimes be quite unruly aircraft.

The 2006 competition year saw a number of experiments for TerraBreak's participation at DBF. Some worked out okay, some flat fell on their face. We're in the process of re-evaluating our results and are thinking through how to better serve the DBF community and the competition we cherish so much.

Lastly, it's time for another series of informal awards from your friends here at TerraBreak. Enjoy!


And that about wraps it up for us this year. . .we look forward to seeing all y'alls' smiling, determined faces in 2007!!

--Roadman & CwicSeolfer
This file was last modified on February 05, 2007.