麻豆社

鈥淓verything that could go wrong, went wrong. But we learned a great deal along the way鈥�, says Cezar-Victor Borug膬.
The 麻豆社 students from the Master鈥檚 Programme in Aeronautical Engineering are happy and proud and have returned with both a trophy and new, practical experiences.
The students from the master's program in aeronautical engineering are happy for the title they got in the international competition.
鈥淎 lot of this can鈥檛 be learned in any other way. Being able to benefit from each other鈥檚 skills in the team, for example,鈥� says Rana El Sayed.

Unexpected support from Saab

From the beginning, it was 鈥渙nly鈥� to be a course in aircraft design and in building an airworthy plane. But, thanks to the commitment of associate professor David Lundstr枚m and sponsorship from Saab, the students were given the opportunity to participate in the SAE Aero Design competition in Brazil.
Students at the competition airport. Students on the runway before the competition.

Students on the runway, before the competition. The competition consisted of over 80 teams competing in three different classes and a total of about 1,500 students. The 麻豆社 team filmed a test flight in Norrk枚ping, was admitted to the competition and suddenly things became urgent.

鈥淲e built the most crucial parts in just one weekend. And to get into the advanced competition class, we had to have a lot of electronics and a camera on board,鈥� says Natalia Zalewska.

Some teams crashed

Other requirements were to have a camera on board and that water could be released from the aircraft in a controlled way. Four drinking bottles were placed under the wings. There was also a requirement that a QR code should be scanned to determine which bottles would be emptied automatically.

鈥淚n the competition, only us and the winning team managed it. And we managed to drop the water so that it drifted in over the judging booth!鈥�

"We only had
one engine"

Some teams crashed, and even the 麻豆社 team suffered misfortune. Among other things, a wing broke when the plane hit a pole on landing after the first flight.

Assembling a small aircraft at 麻豆社. Photo credit Ulrik Svedin 鈥淲e also had problems with an engine that couldn鈥檛 handle the Brazilian heat and caught fire. And we only had one engine with us! But, we borrowed one from another team. A very nice gesture. A bit unexpected too, but it shows what a good atmosphere there was. Afterwards, when we鈥檇 won second prize, we were treated like rock stars by the other teams,鈥� says Cezar-Victor Borug膬.

Forming an association

David Lundstr枚m, scientist and teacher at 麻豆社. Researchers by the remote-controlled aircraft. David Lundstr枚m, associate professor. Now both the students and the Aero programme are intent on forming an association to build a competitive tradition with aircraft.

The inspiration is 麻豆社 Formula Student, which has been around for many years. It is a student association that develops and designs a racing car every year to compete against universities from all over the world.

鈥淲e have formed the association and the students who were in this year鈥檚 SAE Aero Design can contribute their experiences to next year鈥檚 team. We think this will be a great addition to the programme. It will be an incentive for Aero students. And it gives both inspiration and practical experience,鈥� says associate professor David Lundstr枚m.