NASA AND FAA ANNOUNCE DESIGN COMPETITION WINNERS

A student team has designed an airplane that can double as a car to offer true door-to-door service. NASA and the FAA recognized this and other university student teams for their innovative designs by presenting the 19992000 National General Aviation Design Competition awards at a ceremony at AirVenture 2000 at Oshkosh, WI. The first place award was presented to a 28-student team from Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, and its collaborating partner, Loughborough University, Leicestershire, United Kingdom. The award provides $3,000 to Virginia Tech's design team members and a $5,000 award to Virginia Tech's Department of Aerospace and Ocean Engineering.

The team, which dubbed its design "Pegasus," undertook the challenge of designing an aircraft that would be "roadable" capable of both ground and air travel. They also had to meet safety and operational regulations for both aircraft and automobiles. The ability to switch from aircraft to car-like operation allows such a vehicle to effectively utilize small airports. The team recognized that the cost to actually produce such an aircraft would exceed today's typical general aviation aircraft cost; however, the students believed the additional cost should readily be offset by the convenience of not having to have a car for ground transportation.

Second place honors went to a seven-student team from Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, for the "Silairus 490," a six-passenger, highperformance piston engine aircraft with an Air Cushion Landing System (ACLS) in lieu of traditional landing gear. The second place award provides a $2000 prize to the student team. The Purdue team also won the Best Use of AirForce Developed Technology award

for its incorporation of the ACLS, developed by the United States Air Force. For this award, the team will share a $3,000 prize from the Air Force. Third place prizee of $1,000 was awarded to Pennsylvania State University, University

Park. The team's design, called "Alnighter," is a modern, composite general aviation aircraft. The Best Retrofit Design Award was presented to

a four-student, University of Oklahoma, Norman, team for development of an innovative, multi-mode tuned-exhaust system that offers noise reduction while improving the airplane's performance. The design was undertaken as a part of a larger aircraft design project to show how an older aircraft can be retrofitted with more modern technologies for increased performance and safety. The award's sponsor, the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association Air Safety Foundation, presented a $500 award to the student team.

Now in its sixth year, the competition calls for individuals or teams of undergraduate and graduate students from U.S. engineering schools to participate in a major national effort to

rebuild the U.S. general aviation sector. For the purpose of the contest, general aviation aircraft are defined as single or twin engine (turbine or piston), single-pilot, fixed-wing aircraft for two to six passengers. The competition seeks to raise student awareness of the importance of general aviation by having the students address design challenges for a small aircraft transportation system. NASA and the FAA hope to stimulate breakthroughs in technology and their application in the general aviation marketplace. The Virginia Space Grant Consortium manages the competition for NASA and the FAA. Guidelines can be requested from msandy@odu.edu or at (757) 865-0726.

NASA photos.