Flying with Vernier

Students from the University of Akron regularly enter the SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers) Aero DesignŽ Competition. The Aero Design Competition challenges engineering students to conceive, design, fabricate, and test a radio-controlled aircraft that can take off and land while carrying the maximum cargo. This gives students the opportunity to apply the knowledge learned in the classroom on a practical problem.

This year, Brian Czapor and his fellow students used our LabPro and 3-Axis Accelerometer to improve their airplane design. The photo shows how the Accelerometer was oriented in the plane. Prior to flight, the Accelerometer was zeroed. The data from a sample test flight is shown here. The graphs show the results of inverted flight, a vertical loop, and gliding to land.