College of Engineering News • Iowa State University

Students entertain packed crowd at LTA’s

Three aircrafts line up at the starting line. Some UAVs crashed into the walls or had their balloons pop during the intense races.

First-year aerospace engineering students from AerE 160 capped off their first semester with the Lighter Than Air Challenge in Howe Hall on Friday evening. The students built aircrafts out of balsa wood and used motors, propellers, and a large helium balloon to fly around the atrium.

With spectators lined along the railings of Howe Hall, teams faced off in a tournament to determine the fastest aircraft. Three aircrafts raced around a series of obstacles in the atrium including, tunnels, hoops, and capped off the race with a precise landing. 

The students used the project to work in groups and also to learn some of the basic principals of aerospace engineering.

Click here to view the photo album on Flickr.

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