Students in the School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering are building a high profile aircraft that could benefit occupations from firefighting to space exploration.
In the works since 2002, Dr. Jamey Jacob, an associate professor in MAE, and his team of students have been designing, and are now building, the first aircraft of its kind. The innovative inflatable wing technology enables the aircraft to be used for Mars exploration and possibly much more.
Advancement in aerospace industry of this magnitude will be recognized globally. The use of the inflatable wing technology is not restricted to space exploration.
“The inflatable wing is like a flotation device so you can use it to save people too,” said Ben Loh, an aerospace graduate student and chief engineer for the project.
Loh used the Asian tsunami disaster of 2004 as an example where this aircraft could have been sent out to rescue people who were flushed into the sea.
“It’s inflatable and can be deployed at any time,” Loh said.
The final flight will be carried out this summer, or later, depending on the results from the test flight March 17 in Colorado. After the project is completed, students will explore personal interests and reap the benefits of the project in their educational and professional careers.
“I want to use this project as a stepping stone into more specialized fields of study like guidance and navigation, weapon systems, sensors, stealth design and that sort of thing,” said Johnny Chandler, a mechanical and aerospace engineering sophomore.
Last week, the aircraft took its maiden voyage.
“They had two good flights and one crash, which is normal in the early stages of flight testing new aircraft designs,” Jacob said. Since the test flight, Chandler said he has learned just how many pieces an aircraft of that size comprises.
Students involved in the project are able to learn new skills from each other as well as apply skills learned in past projects. Loh has been able to gather knowledge from past projects, many of which were through involvement in the national American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Design, Build and Fly competition. It is also a way to “take what we have learned in class and put it into practical use,” Loh said.
The new inflatable wing technology has several other possible uses. For the U.S. Military, this technology means more precision in weapons. “Instead of the typical missile, it can be made into a plane,” Loh said. The inflatable wings would be compacted into the missile, then deployed and used to fly the missile to a specific area, making it more direct on the enemy.
This particular technology is useful in many avenues. Inflatable aircrafts are not only useful to the government but can also help hometown fire departments and safety officials.
Firefighters wearing inflatable backpack airplanes or small aircraft carrying cameras will be able to fly over a hill or the top of a building to check the progress of a dangerous fire. This technology has life saving possibilities.
With this technology, we are one step closer to traveling like the Jetsons. Given the budget of $5,000 from the Oklahoma Space Grant Consortium, the team is building this new plane while improving the aircraft to reach the highest level of efficiency. While flying cars may be in the distant future, the aerospace students at OSU are making advancements that make it all sound possible.
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