On Thursday, over 20 Mississippi State University aerospace engineering students left for Maryland to compete against 43 teams from all around the world, including aerospace heavyweights such as University of Illinois Urbana-champagne and international teams from Italy and Turkey, in the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Cessna and Office of Naval Research Design/Build/Fly competition.
The team is MSU’s third DBF team to compete in the competition, which involves student’s designing, building and flying their own radio controlled aircraft in various missions.
The team, led by seniors Viva Austin and Erin Wahlers, is in high spirits about the competition. “I think we are going to compete very well,” says Austin.
Pilot and freshman William Lott is also happy with the team. “I think we will thoroughly enjoy the competition because we’ve worked hard and had strong teamwork to get to the competition. Its a feeling of accomplishment.”
MSU’s two previous competing teams have both placed in the top 10, but Austin feels that this year is special. “This is the first year we’ve had so many underclassmen. They’ve come through and worked very hard. Also, the university and department have backed the team and been very supportive, especially our awesome faculty advisor Bryan Gassaway.”
The team will be competing on Saturday and Sunday, when Lott will be flying SWAG 2 or “Junior,” the second aircraft the team built for this year’s competition. SWAG 1, the first aircraft, was lost in flight testing, Wahler said.
“Its the second one and we’re a Southern university, so it has to be named Junior. I’ve got the whole team calling it that,” Wahler added.