Kansas Design Team
NASA/FAA AGATE Design Competition
Origin
The NASA/FAA General Aviation Design Competition was born in a 1994 meeting in Lawrence, Kansas. Meeting guests included then-NASA Administrator Dan Goldin, then-U.S. Congressional Representative Jan Meyers, and University of Kansas (KU) faculty and students. During briefings by the KU faculty and students, Goldin criticized the KU Aerospace Engineering Department’s design program for designing only military aircraft. Dr. Jan Roskam, KU’s Ackers Distinguished Professor of Aerospace Engineering, informed Goldin that although the KU students were interested in general aviation aircraft, no national general aviation design competition existed. The NASA Administrator instructed one of his aides to develop such a competition. The first NASA/FAA National General Aviation Design Competition was announced later in 1994.
First Kansas Design Team Wins
The Kansas Design Team (KDT) was formed of institutions having engineering programs: University of Kansas, Kansas State University, and Wichita State University. The KDT developed a single state design proposal for the 1994 AGATE General Aviation Design Competition. The 1994 KDT had 17 faculty members and 40 students from the three universities. Professor Jan Roskam served as the KDT Chief Engineer. In August 1995, the Kansas team received the First Place Award, which NASA’s Goldin presented at the Experimental Aircraft Association’s Annual Convention and Fly-In at Oshkosh, Wisconsin.
KDT Wins Again
Following this initial success, the KDT continued the partnership. The KDT, consisting of 12 faculty members and 40 students, won Second Place in the 1996 Competition. The 1997 Kansas team again received the First Place Award; that team was 11 faculty members and 23 students. Prizes were awarded at the Experimental Aircraft Association’s Annual Fly-In Convention and Sport Aviation Exhibition at Oshkosh, Wisconsin. The KDT formed for the 1998 competition differed from previous prize winning teams in two ways. First, the team was to compete in the Design-Build-Fly Category. Secondly, faculty members and students from Pittsburgh State University were to have been recruited to join team members from KU, KSU, and WSU.
Success of Joint Teams
These joint design teams have seen success from several perspectives. They have brought national recognition of the quality of the students and design education in Kansas. They have provided once-in-a-lifetime educational experiences to the participating students and faculty members. Students have learned from faculty members having expertise not found on any single Kansas campus. Students gained first-hand experience in the industrial environment by working on a multi-site, multi-organization team. Team members discovered the value of communication, planning, and precise allocation of tasks. The success of the design teams has provided a model for other university groups of the achievements possible through statewide cooperation.
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