Mysore/Mysuru: A team of five final year mechanical engineering students from city’s Vidyavardhaka College of Engineering (VVCE) have excelled in the SAE International Aero-design East 2023, an international-level Radio Controlled (RC) aircraft design, build and fly competition held from Mar. 10 to 12 at Lakeland, Florida, USA.

Students who participated in the contest are Srinandana Y. Sastry, Vivek Chandrashekhar, Sathwik Jain, S. Supreeth and Sukhi Darshan.

The team competed against students from world-class Universities and secured an overall 7th position out of 11 teams that were selected for the final round. Over 50 teams had registered for the event.

The students were judged by experts and leading engineering minds, who evaluated them based on various criteria such as flying performance, payload carrying capacity, conveying the technical aspects of building RC aircraft through oral presentation, and design report preparation.

The competition required the teams to design, build and fly a remote-controlled aircraft capable of carrying maximum payload while maintaining maximum flight time.

The students expressed their gratitude to VVCE Principal Dr. B. Sadashive Gowda, Head of the Department Dr. G.V. Naveen Prakash and Vidyavardhaka Sangha for their sponsorship, unconditional support and motivation. They also extended special thanks to Faculty Advisor Dr. R. Shivashankar, who provided timely inputs, motivation and ensured smooth operation of the club. The team also thanked Student Alumni, and fellow Students of Vymanika Club for their support and encouragement.

“This achievement is a testament to the hard work, dedication, and passion of our students. Their success in this competition shows that our students have the potential to compete at the international level and make a mark in the field of engineering,” said Dr. Sadashive Gowda.