1. AIAA FOUNDATION ANNOUNCES WINNERS OF 2010-2011
GRADUATE TEAM AIRCRAFT DESIGN COMPETITION
California Polytechnic State University Sweeps Awards
September 1, 2011 – Reston, Va. – The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Foundation
(AIAA) is pleased to announce that team “Voltair” from the California Polytechnic Institute, San Louis
Obispo, Calif., has won the first prize in the AIAA Foundation’s annual Graduate Team Aircraft Design
Competition.
The 2010-2011 Contest required competing teams to design an electrically powered aircraft.
Teams winning awards were:
First Prize: “Team Voltair,” California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, Calif., for their
design “The BLITZ Electric Aircraft.” Dr. William Durgin, faculty advisor; Matt Handfelt, team lead and
performance; Christian Lopez, propulsion and stability & controls; Ryan Mayer, systems and structures; Nick
Riccobono, aerodynamics and cost; and Brendon Townshend, configuration and solid modeling. The team will
receive and award of $2,500 from the AIAA Foundation.
Second Prize: “Team Laminar Flow Aviation,” California Polytechnic State University, San Luis
Obispo, Calif., for their design “The EA-Mk1.” Dr. William Durgin and Bruce Wright, faculty advisors; Mark
Anderson, structurs and solid model; David Babka, lead & controls; Ethan Erlhoff, aerodynamics; Ryan
Milligan, performance; and Nathan Phelps, propulsion. The team will receive an award of $1,500 from the
AIAA Foundation.
Third Prize: “Team Gorillianaires Aerospace,” California Polytechnic State University, San Luis
Obispo, Calif., for their design “The Ultimum.” Dr. William Durgin, faculty advisor; Derek Goss, propulsion,
configuration; Chee-woon Kim, solid modeling; Dorian Pandey, weights and costs; Scott Sawyer, controls and
performance; Sean Stewart, structures and configuration; and Mathew Thomas, aerodynamics. The team will
receive an award of $1,00 from the AIAA Foundation.
For more information on the AIAA Foundation Graduate Team Aircraft Design Competition, please contact
Rachel Andino at 703.264.7577 or rachela@aiaa.org.
Media Contact: Duane Hyland at 703.264.7558 or duaneh@aiaa.org
The AIAA Foundation seeks to “make it exciting, make it empowering, and make it fun.” That simple,
compelling philosophy drives the Foundation’s commitment to math, science, and technology education.
The AIAA Foundation offers a wealth of resources to support educators from K–12 through university:
scholarships, classroom grants, design competitions, and student conferences, improving scientific
literacy and advancing the arts and sciences of aerospace. For more information on the AIAA Foundation
and its programs for students, teachers, and professionals, please visit www.aiaafoundation.org.
AIAA is the world’s largest technical society dedicated to the global aerospace profession. With more than
35,000 individual members worldwide, and 90 corporate members, AIAA brings together industry, academia,
and government to advance engineering and science in aviation, space, and defense. For more information,
visit www.aiaa.org.
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American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics
1801 Alexander Bell Drive, Suite 500, Reston, VA 20191-4344
Phone: 703.264.7558 Fax: 703.264.7551 www.aiaa.org