Wow, a friend pointed out this thread to me today, and I'm amazed how fast it got off topic.
Anyhow, on behalf of the UBC guys, thanks for your kind words of support!
I'm the pilot for UBC, and the guy that posted the original thread on RCCanada. That plane was awesome to fly with 48.8lb on board, and a little nerve racking with a damaged prop! That flight was in the 2nd to last round of flights on the final day. In the last round, we had ~58lb loaded into it (more that the scale could measure
) just in case another team scored what we thought was a competitive flight. Based on the 48.8 lb flight characteristics and the numbers we ran at that density altitude, the 58lb would have been tough but doable. This kind of competition sure teaches a pilot a LOT about energy management in R/C models. With 58lb on board, that would have been a payload:aircraft weight ratio of just over 6:1. That's way up there in terms of the SAE contest history from what I've heard. the 48.8 lift was just over 5:1.
The team managers, other team advisors, and myself just had a meeting with the faculty today. Needless to say, the school is overjoyed with the results and we hope to create another competitive entry next year. These competitions are more fun that any fun fly or R/C meet I've ever been to. If you ever get the chance to fly for an SAE Aero design team, go for it!
Kelly
Pilot/advisor for UBC Open Class