"Centura," a single-engine jet aircraft designed by undergraduate engineering students from Virginia Tech and their counterparts at Loughborough University in the U.K., has won the Best Overall Award in
NASA's 2004 Revolutionary Vehicles and Concepts Competition.
The competition, sponsored by the NASA Langley Research Center's Aerospace Vehicle Systems Technology Office and FAA's Hughes Technical Center, challenged students to develop innovative concepts and systems for future aircraft. The awards ceremony was held July 30 at the Experimental Aircraft Association's AirVenture 2004 in Oshkosh, Wis.
This marks the second year in a row and the fourth time in the past seven years that Virginia Tech/Loughborough University teams have won first place in NASA-sponsored university design competitions.
This year's team included 15 Virginia Tech students -- 10 aerospace and ocean engineering (AOE) seniors, two industrial and systems engineering (ISE) seniors and three freshmen in general engineering -- and 11 fourth-year aeronautical engineering students from Loughborough. The team's advisers are Jim Marchman, professor of aerospace and ocean engineering in the College of Engineering at Virginia Tech, and Gary Page, professor of aeronautical engineering at Loughborough.
The team designed Centura as an aircraft that could replace single-engine, piston-powered vehicles in the general aviation market, Marchman said. To succeed with this concept, the students had to design a new jet engine optimized for low flight speeds at low altitudes -- not the typical jet environment.
"Most designs for general aviation jets aim for high performance and high-altitude flight," Marchman said. "The Virginia Tech/Loughborough team's unique concept is for a plane that would meet the needs of the thousands of single-engine general aviation pilots whose flying is usually done at altitudes below 10,000 feet and speeds below 250 knots."
"The team selected the name Centura for their design because they felt it honored the 100th anniversary of flight and reflected the 21st century technology used in the aircraft," Marchman said.
For more information about Centura and the team, visit http://www.aoe.vt.edu/design/centuria/index.html.
Award winners in the 2004 competition placed in three tiers. The Virginia Tech/Loughborough team placed best overall in the top tier, which also included teams from Cornell University and Georgia Tech. Second tier teams were from Clemson University, Montana State University, Pennsylvania State University and University of Virginia. Teams placing in the third tier represented Ohio University, Penn State (which entered two vehicles) and University of Kansas. A student from Iowa State University won honorable mention for a personal air vehicle.
Source:
Virginia Tech
Related stories:
Measuring the auditory dynamics of selective attention
Call it the cocktail party effect: how an individual can participate in a one-on-one conversation within a cluster of people, switch to another, pick up important comments while tuning out others, change topics and return to the first conversation.
Algae: Biofuel of the future?
University of Virginia researchers have a plan to greatly increase algae oil yields by feeding the algae extra carbon dioxide (the main greenhouse gas) and organic material like sewage, meaning the algae could simultaneously produce biofuel and clean up environmental problems.
New chlorine-tolerant, desalination membrane hopes to boost access to clean water
A chemical engineering professor at The University of Texas at Austin is part of a team that has developed a chlorine-tolerant membrane that should simplify the water desalination process, increasing access to fresh water and possibly reducing greenhouse gases.
For Clean Water: Chlorine-tolerant membranes for desalination
(PhysOrg.com) -- One of the most pressing needs of our time is safe, sustainable access to fresh water. The dominant technology for desalination of water is membrane-based desalination, an energy-efficient, environmentally friendly process. Scientists have now developed a new membrane material that, unlike current polyamide membranes, tolerates chlorinated water.
Brightest X-ray Vision at the Nano-scale
Technology-development studies at Cornell University and Jefferson Laboratory are showing how to use the brightest X-ray light ever generated for the scientific examination of everything from human proteins to forged art.
Chemistry of Airborne Particulate -- Lung Interactions Revealed
Exactly how airborne particulates harm our lungs still puzzles epidemiologists, physicians, environmental scientists, and policy makers. Now California Institute of Technology researchers have found that they act by impairing the lungs' natural defenses against ozone.
Rainfall and river networks prove accurate predictors of fish biodiversity
Princeton researchers have invented a method for turning simple data about rainfall and river networks into accurate assessments of fish biodiversity, allowing better prediction of the effects of climate change and the ecological impact of man-made structures like dams.
Study examines amount of water needed to produce various types of energy
It is easy to overlook that most of the energy we consume daily, such as electricity or natural gas, is produced with the help of a dwindling resource – fresh water. Virginia Tech professor Tamim Younos and undergraduate student Rachelle Hill are researching the water-efficiency of some of the most common energy sources and power generating methods.