Photo by Bob Phelan, Missouri S&T.

Missouri University of Science and Technology’s Advanced Aero Vehicle Group earned fourth place in the advanced class at the annual Aero Design West Competition, held Friday, March 28, through Sunday, March 30, at the Fort Worth Thunderbirds Flying Field in Fort Worth, Texas.

Following a technical design presentation and aircraft inspection, the team was in eighth place prior to the flying portion of the competition. The team then flew its plane once on Saturday, March 29, and again on Sunday, March 30.

The team’s flight objective was to use its 8.3-pound plane to carry a sandbag, designed to simulate a humanitarian aid package with food and medical supplies, and drop it on a fixed target on the ground. Scoring for this event was based on the sandbag’s proximity to the target.

During flight, electronics on the S&T plane transmitted real-time altitude and first-person-view video. Students used this data to direct the pilot as he lined up to drop the sandbag, which was automatically calculated through onboard GPS.

Dr. Walter Eversman, Curators’ Professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at S&T, is the AAVG team advisor and Brandon Coleman, a senior in aerospace engineering from Raymore, Mo., is the team’s president.

The students who participated in the event are:

Anthony Innes, a freshman in aerospace engineering from Lee’s Summit, Mo.

Brandon Coleman, a senior in aerospace engineering from Raymore, Mo.

Bradley Parks, a sophomore in aerospace engineering from Fisk, Mo.

Brenda Wilson, a sophomore in aerospace engineering from Richland, Mo.

Drew McNeely, a senior in aerospace engineering from Houston, Texas.

Emily Dierkes, a senior in mechanical engineering from St. Louis.

John Schaefer, a senior in aerospace engineering from St. Louis.

Justin Nichols, a senior in aerospace engineering from Hawk Point, Mo.

Matthew Legner, a senior in aerospace engineering from Wildwood, Mo.

Melissa Heskett, a senior in mechanical engineering from St. Louis.

Paul Black, a freshman in aerospace engineering from St. Joseph, Mo.

Ryan Brown, a sophomore in aerospace engineering from Edwardsville, Ill.

Sam Knechtenhofer, a senior in aerospace engineering from Cosby, Mo.

William Hopkins, a freshman in mechanical engineering from St. Louis.

Jared Pitts, a senior in electrical engineering from Raytown, Mo.