In keeping with Embry-Riddle’s themes of innovation, leadership and hands-on learning, the students have created a new club on campus: EAS, or Eagle Aerosport Club. The purpose of the organization? To build an aircraft from scratch and then fly it around as a research aircraft for the university.
So that’s what they’re doing at Embry-Riddle’s Flight Line facility at the Prescott Municipal Airport: building a Vans RV-12, winner of last year’s Editor’s Choice award from Flying Magazine. The aircraft material arrived last month, and the first rivet will be driven by the end of October. The project was made possible through the generosity of the Thelan family, parents of a recent alumnus and members of the campus’s Board of Visitors. Chris Thelan, the recent Prescott campus graduate, works for Synergy Air in Oregon, where they commercially produce the RV-12. Lowe’s Home Improvement of Prescott also generously donated some tools and supplies for the project.
Phil Riek, a senior Aerospace Engineering student and the EAS president, says the organization is a comprehensive representation of the student body. There are 54 students participating from all four academic colleges at Embry-Riddle, including Aviation, Engineering, Arts and Sciences, and Security and intelligence – the first club of its kind in the nation. There are 30 students on the build team (including six with their FAA Airframe and Powerplant ratings) and the rest divided amongst the Engineering, Executive, and Business teams. The team is also working closely with master’s degree students form the Safety Science program, to make sure the build is safe and meets OSHA certification standards.
Once completed (expected to take about 18 months), the aircraft will carry two passengers on regular flights conducting advanced research for Embry-Riddle and the aviation industry. The EAS Club and the institution are partnering with Vans, the aircraft manufacturer, to perform structural and aerodynamic analysis through pressure sensors attached to the aircraft in flight. After Flight Certification, the crew will consist of two ERAU students: a pilot and an engineer in the right seat taking and transmitting live test feed data. The institution plans to conduct research in the aircraft for as long as a decade once the build project is completed. The project has also opened the door for a long-term relationship with Vans, providing internships for students and additional employment possibilities after graduation.
Riek indicated that, if successful, multiple aircraft could follow to keep the production cycle going for subsequent classes, making this RV-12 build truly a “pilot” program. QCBN
By Bryan Dougherty
Bryan Dougherty is dean of enrollment management at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. For more information, call 800-888-3728, or visit www.Prescott.erau.edu.
Leave a Reply