Oklahoa State University Speedfest 2017
04-25-2017, 05:17 AM
#1
Oklahoma State University Speedfest 2017
So every year we put on a contest called Speedfest where we give college students a challenge. This year was to design and K45 powered UAV. A basic overview of the challenge is to come up with an aircraft with a small ground operating radius and low forward radar observation. Here are their marketing videos.
Last edited by why_fly_high; 04-25-2017 at 01:43 PM.
04-27-2017, 05:44 AM
#6
Looks like too much fun! I had the opportunity to fly for some college kids for SAE- Northrup competition. They had to design a plane with current formulas to carry the most weight with given power, off of a short runway and be able to land even shorter. We came in 3rd out of about 25 colleges.
How are they testing to see if it truly does avoid radar detection? After all, the speed radar picks it up.
Guys, if you ever get a chance to help and fly for these college kids, you won't regret your donation of time. Too much fun, and you will learn something too. Just make sure you are truly an accomplished pilot, so that you don't ruin the kids chances of winning the competition. Saw a few pilots at the competition that couldn't fly, and ruined the college kids efforts.
How are they testing to see if it truly does avoid radar detection? After all, the speed radar picks it up.
Guys, if you ever get a chance to help and fly for these college kids, you won't regret your donation of time. Too much fun, and you will learn something too. Just make sure you are truly an accomplished pilot, so that you don't ruin the kids chances of winning the competition. Saw a few pilots at the competition that couldn't fly, and ruined the college kids efforts.
Last edited by RCFlyerDan; 04-27-2017 at 05:52 AM.
04-27-2017, 06:46 AM
#7
Looks like too much fun! I had the opportunity to fly for some college kids for SAE- Northrup competition. They had to design a plane with current formulas to carry the most weight with given power, off of a short runway and be able to land even shorter. We came in 3rd out of about 25 colleges.
How are they testing to see if it truly does avoid radar detection? After all, the speed radar picks it up.
Guys, if you ever get a chance to help and fly for these college kids, you won't regret your donation of time. Too much fun, and you will learn something too. Just make sure you are truly an accomplished pilot, so that you don't ruin the kids chances of winning the competition. Saw a few pilots at the competition that couldn't fly, and ruined the college kids efforts.
How are they testing to see if it truly does avoid radar detection? After all, the speed radar picks it up.
Guys, if you ever get a chance to help and fly for these college kids, you won't regret your donation of time. Too much fun, and you will learn something too. Just make sure you are truly an accomplished pilot, so that you don't ruin the kids chances of winning the competition. Saw a few pilots at the competition that couldn't fly, and ruined the college kids efforts.
About the Radar. Without a bunch of high tech equipment, chambers, etc there is no way to actually test the radar. They used some formulas, computer modeling tools, etc to try to optimize the design for radar avoidance. Yes, the radar gun picked it up BUT, it had to be about 6-8 times closer. We tested a bunch of planes from foamies to gassers at the radar to get data on how far out the radar gun would pick up the plane. For a nearly apples to apples test I flew a bunch of passes at the radar with my K45G powered Precepter. The radar gun picked it up every time close to 1000 feet out. I don't know but my suspicion is that even a stealth fighter shows up on radar at close range.
04-27-2017, 08:53 AM
#8
Let me start by commenting on your statement of helping College kids. I have been flying for OSU for over 20 years. We have competed and won in numerous international contests and set a few FAI world records. The main thing is to help them with the RC set up. Help them with linkages, control set up, etc. Keep an open mind about the design. I have flown stuff for them that myself and most modelers would say will never fly. Be patient and enjoy the experience of flying stuff that you would never get to fly otherwise.
About the Radar. Without a bunch of high tech equipment, chambers, etc there is no way to actually test the radar. They used some formulas, computer modeling tools, etc to try to optimize the design for radar avoidance. Yes, the radar gun picked it up BUT, it had to be about 6-8 times closer. We tested a bunch of planes from foamies to gassers at the radar to get data on how far out the radar gun would pick up the plane. For a nearly apples to apples test I flew a bunch of passes at the radar with my K45G powered Precepter. The radar gun picked it up every time close to 1000 feet out. I don't know but my suspicion is that even a stealth fighter shows up on radar at close range.
About the Radar. Without a bunch of high tech equipment, chambers, etc there is no way to actually test the radar. They used some formulas, computer modeling tools, etc to try to optimize the design for radar avoidance. Yes, the radar gun picked it up BUT, it had to be about 6-8 times closer. We tested a bunch of planes from foamies to gassers at the radar to get data on how far out the radar gun would pick up the plane. For a nearly apples to apples test I flew a bunch of passes at the radar with my K45G powered Precepter. The radar gun picked it up every time close to 1000 feet out. I don't know but my suspicion is that even a stealth fighter shows up on radar at close range.
Very cool project! Its not jets, but here is the project that the undergrads in my lab are working on:
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/NAoLtsgfdJM" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
The airframe is a combination of off-the-shelf parts, but the flight control computer hardware and software are all developed in-house. This was a manual flight, but it now does all of this autonomously...
Bob
