Eight students enrolled in a Master's degree in Civil Engineering in Aerospace won the 2nd prize in the AAIA competition

Raphaël Dubois, Thibault Laurent, Bao Long Le Van, Nayan Levaux, Guillaume Noiset, Axel Piret, Arthur Scheffer and Vincent Schmitz, students at the Faculty of Applied Sciences, won the second prize of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) in the Graduate Team Aircraft Competition category with their Coyotte project, a pilot training aircraft.

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he eight students enrolled in the Master's degree in Civil Engineering in Aerospace, supervised by Professors Grigorios Dimitriadis and Ludovic Noels, and by Assistants Adrien Crovato and Thomas Lambert, won the 2nd prize in the competition organized by the AAIA for their project entitled "The Coyote - an Advanced Pilot Training Aircraft". This challenge, launched by the AAIA at the end of December 2016, called on the skills of researchers to consider the design of a new training tool for pilots, on the eve of the retirement of the T-38C, the model currently used by the army to train its recruits.

The challenge participants had to develop a system capable of handling pilot training constraints for the new generation of fighter aircraft such as the F-22. This challenge has allowed the students of the Faculty of Applied Sciences to combine their recently acquired skills in the field of aeronautics to answer this call by developing their own design tool. Their project, the Coyote, was evaluated on all fronts, including components, aerodynamics, handling and the costs associated with the development and production of the machine. A good exercise that allowed them to put into practice a series of skills acquired throughout their training course.

AAIA awards

For more than 80 years, the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) has been committed to ensuring that aerospace professionals are recognized for their achievements, innovations and discoveries that make the world safer, more connected, more accessible and more prosperous. From large missions that reinvent the way we use air and space to new and inventive applications that improve daily life, aerospace professionals put their knowledge at the service of society. AAIA continues to celebrate this pioneering spirit by showcasing the best of the aerospace industry.