Cyclone Aero Design, part of the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) International club on campus, is a team that builds aircrafts from scratch to compete with teams from around the world at SAE Aero Design competitions. This year, they are scheduled to compete in the SAE Aero Design West competition, which takes place April 2 through April 5 in Fort Worth, Texas.

The mission for the aircraft is to carry as many soccer balls in as small a package that can sustain flight, emulating a cargo carrier. These rules are new to competition this year, as last year the aircraft’s cargo was tennis balls, which was meant to be comparable to a passenger carrier. An electric motor, similar in power to a lawn mower engine, must be used to propel the plane.

Before competing in the sky, each team must present a design report that extensively explains each aspect of the aircraft’s design as well as a five minute design presentation that compacts the information into a more visual display. Both the presentation and report are judged by current and retired aerospace engineers who provide feedback. 

“It’s a pretty rigorous process where they are not afraid to critique you and tell you where you messed up,” said Mark Macchia, the Project Director for SAE Aero and senior in aerospace engineering.

The event is also a great way to network with professionals and learn from their experiences. “Most of the volunteers there are people who work at the Lockheed facility in Fort Worth,” Macchia said. “You get to spend the whole weekend with a bunch of professional engineers and talk to them about what they do. A lot of them are alumni from this program, so they give you little tricks and tell you what they did when they were on a team.”

This is Cyclone Aero Design’s fourth year as a team and they have been expanding rapidly. “We’ve grown a lot over those four years,” Macchia said. “We’ve gained about five or six members each year. Two years ago we had 12 people and now we are up to about 30 members.”

Last year was the first time Cyclone Aero Design was able to fly their aircraft at an event. This year, they are far more confident because they have some competition experience and they plan on doing much more flight testing. 

“Last year was a big milestone for us,” Macchia said. “This year we are aiming for top fifteen or top ten.” With the brand new rule set for this year, the playing field has shifted in their favor, since every team will be flying a completely redesigned model. 

In the fall semester of the academic year, the team focuses on designing the aircraft, which can be difficult for students who have not taken advanced engineering courses. To help teach the design process, Cyclone Aero Design has an onboard team of senior members who mentor new recruits on software that is used by the team.

Cyclone Aero Design is always looking for new members to join the team, no matter what your major is. It’s a great opportunity to learn more about aeronautics and gain valuable experience. For students interested in joining, email Mark Macchia at [email protected].