A team of Penn State aerospace engineering students took second place at the 1998-99 National General Aviation Design Competition in Oshkosh, Wis., on July 31.
The Penn State team created "The Baracuda," a conventional layout, modern composite airplane featuring advanced aerodynamics, systems and avionics. Designed by a 13-member team as part of a senior aircraft design course, the Baracuda is an acronym for Boldly Advanced and Refined Aircraft Concept Under Development for AGATE. AGATE, or Advanced General Aviation Transport Experiments, is the national general aviation revitalization program.
The Baracuda is a four-place, single-engine, jet-powered general aviation airplane, which judges said does an excellent job of meeting revitalization needs.
Hubert C. "Skip" Smith, associate professor of aerospace engineering, served as the team's faculty adviser. Under his guidance, Penn State has the distinction of winning a place award in each year of the competition. This year's second-place award provides a $2,000 prize to the Penn State team.
Now in its fifth year, the competition calls for individuals or teams of undergraduates and graduate students from U.S. engineering schools to participate in a major national effort to rebuild the U.S. general aviation sector. For the purpose of the contest, general aviation aircraft are defined as fixed-wing, single-engine (turbine or piston), single-pilot aircraft for two to six passengers. In addressing design challenges for a small aircraft transportation system, the competition seeks to raise student awareness of the importance of general aviation and to stimulate breakthroughs in technology and their application in the general aviation market.
In descending order from first to third place, the teams finishing are: Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University; Penn State; and a combined team of students from the University of Virginia, Old Dominion University and Pratt Institute.
The competition is managed for NASA and the FAA by the Virginia Space Grant Consortium.