Edition: Model Aviation - 2021/08
Page Numbers: 131
University of Michigan M-Fly students posing with aircraft at a competition
University of Michigan M-Fly students posing with aircraft at a competition
The Michigan program is M-Fly’s oldest event. The 2020 aircraft, the M-12, is shown to the right in the photo of the students, and was a high-lift, non-carbon-fiber biplane. The aircraft is scored in competition by how much cargo it can carry, such as steel plates and soccer balls, that act as “outsized cargo.” In addition to the high-lift requirements, the maximum takeoff distance is a mere 100 feet. The M-12 had a maximum takeoff weight of 49 pounds and a wingspan of 8.5 feet.

FLYING PILGRIMS
SUPPORT UNIVERSITY OF
MICHIGAN

Photos by Joe Hass | joehass@gmail.com

JOE HASS (Rochester Hills, Michigan) sent in a “Viewfinder” about how the Flying Pilgrims club, in Superior Township, Michigan, has been a longtime supporter of University of Michigan M-Fly engineering students as they pursue aeronautical, computer, mechanical, and electronic endeavors. The Pilgrims allow the students to use their beautifully paved runway to test aircraft designs and missions. The University of Michigan team competes in the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) Aero Design Competition and the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) competition.

The University of Michigan team’s Michigan Autonomous Take aircraft in the bottom photo is a carbon-fiber, 11.75-foot wingspan, 40-pound machine that is packed with multiple computers, sensors, and downlinks. After takeoff, the sensors guide the aircraft through a course by identifying ground waypoints, as well as imaginary towers and aircraft. The aircraft then deploys a ground vehicle that drives to designated coordinates.

The Michigan Experimental (MX), shown to the left in the photo of the students, is a systems competition machine. The aircraft must complete multiple tasks throughout its flight, including deploying and delivering autonomous gliders, four water bottles, and eight Nerf ball howlers to a GPS coordinate. The mission simulates a colonist resupply mission. The 2020 aircraft, the MX-5, was carbon fiber, had a maximum takeoff weight of 30 pounds, and a wingspan of 11 feet.

Autonomous aircraft flying against a cloudy sky

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The Michigan program is M-Fly’s oldest event. The 2020 aircraft, the M-12, is shown to the right in the photo of the students, and was a high-lift, non-carbon-fiber biplane. The aircraft is scored in competition by how much cargo it can carry, such as steel plates and soccer balls, that act as “outsized cargo.” In addition to the high-lift requirements, the maximum takeoff distance is a mere 100 feet. The M-12 had a maximum takeoff weight of 49 pounds and a wingspan of 8.5 feet.

The University of Michigan M-Fly team can be contacted at mfly@umich.edu.

Do you have a high-quality/high-resolution airplane, helicopter, or multirotor photo that you are proud of, or a model aviation-related photo with a great story behind it? Email your “Viewfinder” photo and a description about it to jennifer@modelaircraft.org.