By Brett Hahn, EAA 647675
EAA Chapter 555 in Las Cruces, New Mexico, has successfully completed its fourth year coordinating the EAA 555/NMSU Aerospace Engineering Capstone Program.
In fall 2017, a group of aerospace engineering seniors from New Mexico State University participated in Chapter 555’s 100-hour, four-month program. Chapter 555 members Carl Bogardus, EAA 114219, and Brett Hahn, EAA 647675, coordinate, teach, and mentor the capstone program students each year.
The 2017 capstone workshop started with the students, most of who had never been to a GA airport or flown in a recreational airplane, immersed into many aspects of aviation.
They took multiple airport field tours, learning about airport layout and operations, runways, and traffic patterns. The students were able to study a variety of aircraft close up, from turbine twins to military helicopters, meeting mechanics, engineers, and pilots.
Their extended study aircraft included a Glasair II, Cessna 140, Sonex Waiex, Carrera 180, and a full scale Nieuport 17 under construction.
Throughout the fall, they took seminars on aircraft and missile system materials ranging from aircraft grade wood to aluminum and steels, including carbon fiber and Nomex composites and core materials. Another seminar introduced them to aircraft and missile system hardware, uses, and applications.
Hands-on projects included designing and building a functional EFIS panel with an artificial horizon, airspeed indicator, VSI, compass, and a timer, all for less than $500.
For another project, the students were asked to evaluate the crashworthiness of an airframe using traditional calculations, solid modeling, then building and crash-testing 1/4 scale models.
Carl treated every student to an EAA Eagle Flight in the infamous Green Meanie, an LSA Skyranger. Each student came away awestruck by the flight experience.
“I read and studied about flight for years, but until now had never felt what is really like to fly, and it’s just magnificent!” said Juan Sanchez, EAA 1264732.
During the capstone program, the seniors refined their resumes and participated in mock interviews. As a result of their efforts, job offers came rolling in from Holloman Air Force Base, Raytheon Systems, White Sands Missile Range, Los Alamos National Laboratory, and the jet engines division of Rolls-Royce .
Senior Savannah Coleman accepted a flight test engineering position with the U.S. Navy’s Naval Air Systems Command. RJ Brewer, EAA 1264733, went to LANL. Juan was offered multiple engineering positions and chose to start his career at the U.S. Army’s White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico.