BIRD TAILED AIRPLANE

INDEPENDENT ENGINEERING RESEARCH PROJECT

SEPTEMBER 2021 - MAY 2022

Full research project title:

A Novel Approach to Biomimicking the Avian Tail on Fixed Wing Micro Air Vehicles

Summary + Context

I designed, built, and flew a model airplane using a bird-inspired tail. The tail is aerodynamically unstable as it generates lift instead of downforce and lacks a vertical stabilizer, but this brings increases in efficiency and maneuverability. The project required the development of a novel tail control algorithm.

This was an independent project I conducted at home. The purpose was both to advance both the aerospace field and for myself to learn more about the engineering design process.

This project placed 4th at the International Science and Engineering Fair and was awarded 1st special awards from the AIAA and USAF.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Sample of Handwritten Engineering Logbook

Full Research Paper / Design Report

Skills Used

Design Techniques: Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), Computer Aided Design (CAD), Printed Circuit Board (PCB) Design

Manufacturing: 3D Printing, Laser Cutting, Soldering, Hand-Assembly

Software Applications: Fusion 360, Autodesk CFD, EasyEDA, Inkscape, Arduino IDE

Programming Languages & Tools: C++

Project Powerpoint

This powerpoint was used to present my project at the International Science and Engineering Fair. It provides a high level summary of the entire project, details its significance, and is useful for contextualizing the various engineering components used in this project.