jester - some of those stories relate to the DBF team the first year that i joined. I had little knowledge of the project and joined late. At first the plane seemed fine and really sturdy. It had be build almost entirely out of carbonfiber and aluminum . When we flew to Kansas I realized that the rest of the teams had completed many test flights and had really light airplanes compared to our 9lb plane which had not been tested once.

We tested the plane at an airfield the day before competition and learned that the static thrust we got in the lab from the motor did not fair well when the plane began move. Right after take off, the plane smashed into the ground and although undamaged, it became apparent that it would not fly at missions.

here is a picture of the beast: