The SkyHawks Return Home with NASA Award

The SkyHawks with the award at UPES

After a 12-day trip to USA, including a grueling 3 days priming and preparing the aircraft as well as its own organizational skills, The SkyHawks picked up the coveted NASA Systems Engineering Award at the post-competition awards function. The criteria for awarding the NASA award included adherence to NASA's systems engineering philosophy that stresses on risk-free management of projects that both enhance results and prevent serious errors from affecting team workflow.

The team's silverware from NASA

The 10-member student team, led by an experienced group of 5 final-year Aerospace Engineering students part of the team for last year, scaled a new set of achievements in March, 2012. The team's overall performance can be summarized through the following statistics:

International Ranking (Regular Class):      9

Ranking among teams from Asia:                 1

Highest payload lifted:                          20.3 lb

Success rate:                                       66.67%

The team displayed splendid examples of team work and meticulous planning, thus using it's 10-member workforce judiciously in getting the aircraft ready and fit-to-fly before most other teams. Innovations in goal decisions, strategic planning, environmental adaptation and "repair through modular replacement" were points noted by the competition judges. The NASA on-site representative Mr. George Price remarked, "This is the first time in all Aero Design competitions, East or West, that I have seen team planning that is goal and result oriented. The way you guys have forecasted your competition result and then worked backwards and set a realistic milestone-based target is amazing".

The team's plane: The SkyHawk-2

 The NASA Systems Engineering Award has been sponsored by NASA's Ames Research Centre since 2006. The SkyHawks are entitled to a cash prize of $750 along with the iconic 'winged blades' trophy weighing nearly 3 lb. The team was supported by University of Petroleum & Energy Studies (UPES) and its faculty, corporate sponsor - Infotech Enterprises and a number of individuals who did their bit to make this success possible.

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Infotech Sponsors The SkyHawks

Infotech Enterprises Limited, a global engineering services company, has extended their support to TheSkyHawks. The company, based in Manikonda, Hyderabad (India) is sponsoring the the team for 2012 SAE Aero Design West competition to be held in March 2012. This takes the unique relationship of the Department of Aerospace at University of Petroleum & Energy Studies and Infotech to a greater height.

Rajendra V, Sr VP (Aerospace) &
Global Delivery Head, Infotech

Mr. Rajendra Velagapudi, the Senior Vice President & Global Delivery Head for Aerospace at Infotech said, "It is our endeavor to work with academic institutes to bring out more talent from the students and make them productive from day one when they join in the job", when asked about the role of CSR in industry-academia relations.

The team is proud to be associated with Infotech which operates all over the world and recently received the prestigious ASME LEadership Award 2011. The only other companies to receive the award are: Rodney Dreisbach, The Boeing Company, John Scullery and Apple Computers.

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Aero-designers battle it out on the global stage

Article published in Vijayawada edition of The Hindu, on October 29, 2011.

Sreetej Lakkam from the city , is part of a 10-member team of students from University of Petroleum & Energy Studies (UPES), Dehradun, gearing up to take part in the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) Aero Design Competition 2012, slated for March at Los Angeles in the United States of America.

Christened as 'The SkyHawks', the team is eager to prove its prowess on a global platform that attracts participation of students from across the world. A three day event .. read more on The Hindu>