Don Nolan-Proxmire Embargoed Until: August 3, 1996
Headquarters, Washington, D.C.
(202) 358-1983
Keith Henry
Langley Research Center, Hampton, VA
(804) 864-6120
Mary Sandy
Virginia Space Grant Consortium
(804) 865-0726
Release No. 96-125
Ohio State University Students Receive Award in NASA/FAA
General Aviation Aircraft Design Competition
A student team from Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, won
an award in the 1996 NASA/FAA National General Aviation Design
Competition. A special category award for Greatest Retrofit
Potential was given to the design team. The $500 award, which will
be shared by team members, is sponsored by the Aircraft Owners and
Pilots Association (AOPA) Air Safety Foundation.
Bruce Landsberg, executive director, AOPA Air Safety Foundation,
presented the award to team representatives today in a special
ceremony at the Experimental Aircraft Association's Annual Fly-In
Convention and Sport Aviation Exhibition at Oshkosh, Wis.
The design competition seeks to involve students from U. S.
engineering schools in the revitalization of the general aviation
sector. Revitalization goals
present open-ended design challenges to stimulate engineering
students and provide the basis for a quality educational experience
while helping students understand the economic relevance of general
aviation.
This award was given to Ohio State because their design has the
greatest potential for being retrofitted in currently operating
general aviation aircraft. The design was undertaken by 13 students
in the Department of Aerospace Engineering, Applied Mechanics and
Aviation. Dr. Gerald P. Chubb was the faculty advisor.
The team concentrated on designing an integrated cockpit system
for an advanced general aviation aircraft. Students began by
conducting a market survey which found that more than 60 percent of
those surveyed cited time and money as the main reasons for not
getting a pilot's license. The students addressed these concerns in
their design which features high quality, state-of-the-art
avionics, user-friendly pilot aids, advanced flight navigation
displays and computer-based training systems.
The review panel, comprised of general aviation experts from
industry, government and academia, cited the Ohio State design
package for its excellent review of the status of general aviation
and its strong human factors focus. Panel members praised the team
for striking a good balance between use of technology and cost
effectiveness.
The AOPA Air Safety Foundation is the nation's largest nonprofit
organization dedicated exclusively to providing aviation education
and safety programs for general aviation. The foundation's mission
is to save lives and promote accident prevention through pilot
education.
The competition is coordinated for NASA and the FAA by the
Virginia Space Grant Consortium. Guidelines for the third annual
competition to be held during the 1996-1997 academic year will be
available from the consortium in August at
(804) 865-0726 or from msandy@pen.k12.va.us.
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