Story by Dann Hayes, (785) 864-8855

STUDENTS PLACE FIRST IN NATIONAL AIRCRAFT DESIGN CONTEST

LAWRENCE Ü An aircraft design team of aerospace engineering students from the University of Kansas and two other Kansas universities recently took top honors in a national aircraft design competition.

The students were from KU, Kansas State University and Wichita State University. They took part in the General Aviation Design Competition sponsored by NASA and the Federal Aviation Administration. The award was presented last Friday at the Experimental Aircraft Associationÿs Annual Fly-in and Sport Aviation Exhibition in Oshkosh, Wis.

Seventeen students and five faculty advisers from the three Kansas universities participated in the project. The team members will share a prize of $3,000 while the participating university departments will share a $5,000 cash award. Jan Roskam, Deane E. Ackers distinguished professor of aerospace engineering at KU, was one of the teamÿs faculty advisers. Charles Szoboda, KU aerospace engineering gradate student from Lawrence, was the teamÿs graduate-student project manager.

Thirteen teams entered the 1997 competition. Second place went to the Department of Aerospace engineering at Pennsylvania State University in University Park. Third place went to Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Va.

This was the third year for the competition and the second time the Kansas team has placed first. In 1996, the team won second place.

The competition allows university students to take part in a major national effort to revitalize the U.S. general aviation sector. Teams were asked to address design challenges in one or more of the following technical areas: Integrated cockpit systems; propulsion; noise and emissions; integrated design and manufacturing; aerodynamics; operating infrastructure and new designs such as air cars.

The focus of the 1997 Kansas universitiesÿ design package was on making ownership and operation of a general aviation plane more affordable.

The review panel of government, industry and university experts praised the Kansas design for its outstanding technical effort, as well as its practicality, direct and innovative attack on cost issues and aesthetics.

KU students who participated in the joint effort include

DOUGLAS COUNTY

From Lawrence

Lars Bensch, aerospace engineering graduate student

Sookee Chen, aerospace engineering graduate student

Neil C. Hague, May 1997 aerospace engineering graduate

Alexander Kling, aerospace engineering graduate student

Ines Kou, aerospace engineering graduate student

Siva Nadarajah, May 1997 aerospace engineering graduate

Bob Stuever, aerospace engineering doctorate student

Sugin Tiong, aerospace engineering graduate student

Charlie Svoboda, aerospace engineering graduate student

JOHNSON COUNTY

From Shawnee

Steven Cezus, aerospace engineering graduate student

SEDGWICK COUNTY

From Wichita

Chris Hurst, May 1997 aerospace engineering graduate

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