The SAE hosts a series of student-level competitions that touch technical fields including automotive and aerospace. By collaborating with pioneering corporate players like General Motors, Boeing, Lockheed Martin etc, SAE has built a platform for students of technical education to compete in demanding projects and gain experience from contemporaries all over the world.
Among other annual events conducted by the SAE, the SAE Aero Design West (part of the Collegiate Design Series) is held at Van Nuys, California in the United States of America in March. The problem statement varies with the class a team is participating in. The various classes are Regular Class, Advanced Class and Micro Class. The SkyHawks are participating in the Regular Class event of the competition in the 2012 edition of Aero Design West.
Regular Class: Problem Statement
The objective of the Regular Class is to design an aircraft that can lift as much
weight as possible while observing the available power and aircraft's length, width
and height requirements. Accurately predicting the lifting capability of the aircraft is
an important part of the exercise, as prediction bonus points often determine
the difference in placement between competing teams.
The main sponsor of the event, Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co. provides pilots and other technical assistance in evaluating the various teams by means of a report submitted a month in advance as well as a viva when inspecting the aircraft.
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