In June, Team NUST Airworks participated in the IMechE UAS Challenge 2019 as the representative of Pakistan at Snowdonia Aerospace Centre in North Wales, UK. The two branches of this team managed to secure five awards in total with Team NUST Airworks Beta being crowned as Grand Champions by this internationally-acclaimed competition.
Although the event itself comprised of two days, in total it required a nine-month preparation phase. Therefore, Team NUST Airworks broke ground a year prior to the competition, giving themselves ample time to improve and refine their projects. They made sure that they were ready for any obstacle the Challenge threw their way by allocating members in specific departments including technical, design and media. Along the way the team experienced multiple setbacks, from the lack of funding, due to unavailability of sponsors, to untimely crashes, yet, they held on. Burning the midnight oil, the members worked diligently till they perfected every single detail. For the team this competition wasn’t a mere challenge, it was an opportunity to represent their country, Pakistan, on a global scale. As the competition drew nearer, tensions in the team rose higher and they were faced with yet another problem when just a day before leaving, their prized invention, Beta's helicopter, crashed.
In total 32 teams with approximately 350 students from around the globe took part including Canada, Denmark, the Netherlands and Singapore along with prestigious British engineering universities such as Bath, University College, London and Imperial College.
The event kicked off with the scrutineering rounds, and the teams rushed to get their projects ready for inspection. Meanwhile the judges observed each team, asking thought-provoking questions along the way. It was fascinating to see the way with which each team had prepared a unique unmanned aerial system from the same basic instructions given to all the teams, showing diversity in their ideas and imagination. The sub-team Alpha from NUST Airworks cleared the inspection round first, while team Beta worked on fixing their damaged helicopter and were able to qualify for the next round.
Day two of the event brought with it many expectations but unfortunately for some teams, the end to their journeys. During test flights, many planes crashed with some being left beyond repair. However Team Alpha's fixed plane soared through the harsh Welsh winds and managed to withstand drizzle, clearing yet again another round.
Day three brought with it the ‘Dragons Den’, where a panel of highly qualified judges sat through to criticise business proposals made by the teams for their following products. The top two scorers from this were both, impressively, from NUST Airworks.
Children from local schools attended the competition and had a chance to learn more about drones in an education program backed by the Gwynedd Council. Team NUST Airworks was congratulated for the simple yet intriguing way in which they explained the working of their drones to these young minds.
Team NUST Airworks Beta embracing their victory on stage
Towards the end many onlookers were present for the flight of the helicopter, as it was the first and only one to be flown in this competition. The helicopter for a moment seemed as if it would not take-off, however suddenly it did and glided beautifully in the sky. With the completion of its mission, the team took in a relieved breath and everyone applauded.
“We saw more successful flights than in the previous five years and the task we set this year was arguably the most complex,” said UAS Challenge Head Judge, Lambert Dopping-Herpenstal.
It was not long before result day arrived. The team was hoping to do well however they exceeded their expectations by not only winning five out of a total of eight awards but also by emerging as the victors of such an elite competition.
“The NUST Airworks' aircraft was well-designed and extremely well presented. The team was really well organised,” said Rod Williams, Head Scrutineer for the UAS Challenge and who had technical oversight of the drones.
The guest of honour at the awards ceremony was John Idris Jones, Chair of the Snowdonia Enterprise Zone Advisory Board who was representing the Welsh Government which supported the competition this year. Other sponsors of the competition include GKN Aerospace, Bombardier, QinetiQ, Raytheon and Frazer-Nash Consultancy.
Taking part in such a highly reputable challenge proved to be an eye-opener for the team regarding how advanced and profound engineering applications are worldwide. It has taught the team that not only can one bring the writing in their textbooks to life but also gave them the power of realisation, of how one can merge multiple theories and create their own unique reality. It gave the team a chance to be mentored under professional engineers with years of experience in the industry. Not only did these professionals discuss details regarding the competition but also guided the students regarding career choices and decisions.
Furthermore, in such a short span of time, Team NUST Airworks learned a lot due to the amalgamation of different cultures, mind-sets and machinery presented by this competition. In a way the IMechE UAS Challenge has become a melting pot for modern-day technology and ideas.