The Human-Powered Flight Research Team wants YOU!

AME Students David Moeller Sztajnbok, Jonah Colagross, and Nicholas Lototsky have founded a new student design team: the Human-Powered Flight Research Team (HPFRT). They were inspired by the concept of a human-powered airplane, in which a pilot pedals (as on a bicycle) to drive a propeller that powers the airplane.

HPFRT’s goal is to break the world record of just under four hours for the longest human-powered airplane flight, held since 1988 by a team from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. To accomplish this challenging feat, they plan to leverage their previous leadership experience in design teams including the AeroDesign Team (ADT) and the Rocket Propulsion Laboratory (RPL). In the spirit of keeping it simple, before building the full-scale aircraft they will start with a quarter-scale remote-controlled test aircraft. With a wingspan of roughly 25 feet, this will be the largest RC aircraft ever built and flown at USC.

David shares his team’s plan: “We aim to have this airplane built and flown by the end of next semester, i.e., Spring 2025. Over Summer 2025 and beyond, we will begin efforts to develop the full-scale aircraft. Because this program involves placing a human on board (we will be the first human-centered aeronautical design team!), we need to be very methodical about the design-analysis-test cycle. The program will include ergometer tests, developing and building a flight simulator to train cyclists/pilots, physiological and human-factor studies, and a myriad of other things to make sure that the aircraft -not only flies, but also that the pilot can be safe and performs well.”

David, Jonah, and Nicholas hope that this team will offer students a new experience with an aeronautical design project that involves a human, so that graduates going into the industry will have the experience with human-centered operations. HPFRT ‘s approach is not to participate in specific competitions; in turn, it offers members independence, engineering freedom, and a chance to write their names in aviation history.

MEMBER INTRODUCTIONS

“My name is Jonah Colagross, I am a 3rd-year Aerospace Engineering student here at USC. I have been surrounded by aviation all my life, and growing up only a few miles from my local major airport, I always knew I wanted to be involved in commercial aircraft design. I’ve been involved in design teams from early in my collegiate career, with my first 2 years fully in the AeroDesign Team (ADT). My experience there primarily surrounded structural testing, manufacturing, and aircraft configuration and layout. Last year, I served as the Lead Configurator and one of the Manufacturing Leads for the team. I also have spent a summer at Boeing working on fleet support for all 7-series aircraft structures, and next year I will be returning to the company’s commercial conceptual design group. Starting HPFRT really excites me because it emphasizes the human aspect in aerospace engineering, which is something that I could not find in any aircraft design team on campus.”

“I am Nicholas Lototsky, I am (also) a junior studying Aerospace Engineering. I got drawn into aviation by a family friend who took me on a general aviation flight when I was about ten years old, and a career in the aerospace industry has been my goal since. I, like my colleagues, spent my first two years at USC heavily involved in design teams: I was the Chief Pilot for the ADT and also did simulations work for the Rocket Propulsion Laboratory (RPL). My technical interests lie primarily in aerodynamics and simulation, the latter of which was the focus of my internship this past summer at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory. I am really excited to be able to contribute to forming a new design team that focuses on such a unique, multidisciplinary problem.”

“I am David Moeller Sztajnbok, (yet another) Junior in Aerospace Engineering. I also spent my first two years in the ADT, focusing mostly in the aerodynamic and performance design/analysis side of things, leading the Aerodynamics, Stability & Control subteam during the 2023-2024 year. I’ve also participated in a couple of AIAA Aircraft Design Competitions, receiving some awards there. Last summer, I interned at REGENT Craft as a Performance Engineer, working on the performance analysis and some early conceptual design work. I am excited to start the Human-Powered Flight Research Team. USC students have a track record of achieving great things when we set our goals high. I think we have an ambitious goal, but an equally ambitious and talented team that can make this happen.”

 

David also wants to share a word about the team’s faculty advisor, Dr. Saakar Byahut, “Dr. Byahut has already been such a wonderful advisor. When I first had the idea for HPFRT, Dr. Byahut was one of the first people I talked about it with, and he was excited to be a part of it from day one. Since then, he has helped us with not just the technical aspect of the design but also the logistics of starting a team at USC. We couldn’t be more grateful for his help!”

AME wishes to thank David for the write-up and picture provided.

Published on December 8th, 2024Last updated on December 8th, 2024