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Contact: Amy Hewes
Cal Poly Students Dominate National Aircraft Design Competition
SAN LUIS OBISPO – Cal Poly Aerospace Engineering students upheld a longstanding tradition of victory by taking two first place wins and sweeping the Undergraduate Team Aircraft design category at the recent American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Student Design Competitions. Under the direction of instructor David Hall, now retired, Cal Poly UGTA design team Arete Aeronautics and its inter-theater tactical transport “Amarok” surpassed the competition. Team Arete included Collin Baukol and Brian Saponas from San Luis Obispo, Ken Thomas from Lake Forrest, Abagail Liddle from Lafayette, Patrick Wellman from Arroyo Grande, and Derek Geiger from Sacramento. In addition to the first place win for Arete Aeronautics, teams Awsom-O and Sleipner Aerospace took second and third with their respective designs of “Sunstorm” and “Odin’s Fury.” The triple-medal showing marked the second time in three years that Cal Poly swept a design category in the competition. Aerospace engineering professor Mark H. Waters advised another Cal Poly team, whose design, “The Mosquito,” took top honors in the Undergraduate Team Engine design category with an air breathing propulsion system for an uninhabited limited life Mach 3 vehicle. The team included Collin Baukol from San Luis Obispo, Eric Hansen from Woodland Hills, Josh Caldwell from Oakley, Dan Gilani from Gold River, Cassy Anthony from Paso Robles, Nick Jenkins from Los Osos, Terence Statt from Union City, and John Bernard from Dinuba. These competitions are part of a wide-reaching program that recognizes excellence in aerospace engineering study. Each year, the AIAA competition marks the culmination of a three-quarter, senior-level aircraft design course in which students receive valuable insight first-hand from industry professionals. This year, the Cal Poly student designers heard from NASA and benefitted from visits to Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, and Edwards Air Force Base. ###
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