DJS Skylark 2018-19
DJ Sanghvi College of Engineering Third Year Team Project
DJS Skylark is the Aero design team of Dwarkadas J. Sanghvi College of Engineering. The team consists of 30 like-minded aero enthusiasts with varying expertise who design, analyze and fabricate RC Airplanes for the SAE Aero Design Competition.
Competition Brief
SAE Aero Design is a collegiate competition hosted by SAE and Lockheed Martin. It is a three-day competition held annually in USA, with 75 teams from leading universities from around the world, including the United States, Canada, India, Mexico, China, Brazil, and Poland, showcase their planes with the help of a design report and a technical presentation, and then test fly their designs on a runway.
University students are given the opportunity to experience the real-life day-to-day operations of Lockheed Martin through the competition, and they must find their own ways to source material, conduct tests, manufacture their aircrafts, raise funds, and transport the plane to the competition site in the United States.
Competition categories
Regular Class
Mimicking the requirements of a commercial aircraft, the objective was to maximize the number of passengers (represented by tennis balls) that are to be lifted and their luggage (represented by weight plates) and thus generating the maximum revenue by carrying maximum payload.
Micro Class
The goal of the Micro Class is to design a compact aircraft that can carry the highest payload (PVC pipes) with respect to its own weight. It must also fit in a box and be assembled in under 2 minutes.
Design Process
The team comprised 30 students, which was divided into groups for Micro class and Regular class. We were segregated into avionics, structural, aerodynamics, and marketing departments. Each department performed respective tasks of designing, manufacturing, and testing.
In July, we began work on improving the designs from past years. Our plan was built around monthly design, testing, and optimization cycles that worked around our exam schedule and an annual workshop. The year began with the team's second-year members being recruited and being taught about the team, as well as various aerodynamic principles and production methods. We created the CAD model in Autodesk Fusion 360, procured materials in accordance with the SAE Aero design rule book, manufactured the planes, and evaluated the design's proficiency on the runway before entering the competition.
Working Pictures
Designing stage
Planes made by the participants of the Aeromodelling workshop organized by us
Getting the Regular Class Aircraft ready for a flight test
My Role in the team
Design & Manufacturing
As Head of Design, I was involved in the development of the Micro Class aircraft as well as the box that housed it. For quick construction and improved plane stability, I devised the idea of combining the umbrella opening and closing mechanism into the tail boom. This not only improved aerodynamic stability but also allowed us to assemble the plane in less than 10 seconds. We used laser cutting and 3D printing to manufacture the plane.
Marketing & Management
As Head of Marketing, I was in charge of supervising and coordinating the collection of cash through various sponsorships, and I was able to raise ₹16 Lakh ($20,000) in total. I also organised an Aero-Modeling Workshop at our campus for 250 freshmen students and oversaw the team and logistics for the team for the competition in the United States. I also designed brochures, posters, and presentations for a variety of events.
Design Report & Presentation
The Design Report is the primary means by which we conveyed the story of how our aircraft is the most suited design to accomplish the intended mission. In the technical presentation portion of the aero-design competition, our ability to deliver a clear, and concise explanation of the team’s thought processes and engineering philosophy was tested. I assisted in making the Design Report and the presentation.
We ranked 4th overall in the Regular Class and were awarded 2nd place in the Micro Class Design Report.
My Takeaway
Through this experience, I was able to work on design, manufacturing, sponsorships, materials, and management. I was honoured to be able to represent my country, India, and my college at an international event and win awards on their behalf.
Because of the SAE Aero Design, I realized my passion for solving problems with technical solutions by exploring new possibilities with limited resources and under-fixed set constraints.
Flight test
Video of DJS Skylark Regular Class from the SAE Aero Design competition site in Forth Worth, Texas, USA. The plane was required to take off before the 200ft mark, fly around the runway, and land safely onto the tarmac.