SINGAPORE, 22 March – Students from the Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT) & University of Glasgow (UOG) bagged three awards in the Singapore Amazing Flying Machine Competition (SAFMC) 2014.

Team Black Aces developed a semi-autonomous quad-copter named the Redtail, capable of performing flight stablization, reducing response errors and performing with an improved response time to flight commands. (26 March 2014) Photo | SIT Royson Poh

 

The Redtail is a modular aircraft, held together with elastic bands. The Redtail can be dismantled and put back together within five minutes. (26 March 2014) Photo | SIT Royson Poh

 

Team Hogmanayers developed a tri-copter for the Singapore Amazing Flying Machines Competition 2014. Their tri-copter is capable of acrobatic flying manoeuvres. (26 March 2014) Photo | SIT Royson Poh

 

The Hogmanayers tri-copter featured a flight control board with GPS and telemetry system which enables the craft to determine its position, orientation and velocity without a need for an external reference. (26 March 2014) Photo | SIT Royson Poh

Two teams from SIT-UOG’s aerospace systems and aeronautical engineering programmes, pitted their flying machines against 58 other teams from local universities and polytechnics. Team Black Aces won the best presentation award and took second place for the best video award in the semi-automated category, while team Hogmanayers also won second place for the best video award in the open category.

“I am very happy and proud of our students,” said Assoc Prof Sutthipong Srigrarom, UOG, “they have proven that they are just as good as students from other universities.”

 

Members of Black Aces (from left) Vishal Vaswani, Samuel Loh, Benson Tan and Kalenjit Singh sporting jackets bearing the black aces logo badges and individual call-signs, won the best presentation award and second place for best video in the SAFMC 2014 semi-automated category. (26 March 2014) Photo | SIT Royson Poh

Despite having competed in previous competition, Black Aces still found this year’s competition an “eye-opening experience.”

“Instead of just completing the flight course, this year there were extra points given for speed,” said Vishal Vaswani, Black Aces team member, “many pilots damaged their aircrafts just to gain points on speed, there was little respect for the craft (aircraft).”

Black Aces resisted the pressure to make a faster flight and risk damaging their aircraft and conceded their bid for the best flight award. Black Aces delivered an accident-free flight, albeit in a slower time.

For the Hogmanayers, SAFMC 2014 was their first attempt in the competition. Despite having to compete with more experienced teams, including teams with PhD level students, the Hogmanayers entered the competition with confidence.

 

Team Hogmanayers (from left) Dai Siyuan, Francis Xavier Erickinsen, Lim Wei Liang, and Selvaraj Pichamuthu, at the Singapore Amazing Flying Machine Competition 2014 Awards ceremony held on 22 March 2014. Lim Wei Liang holds their tri-copter which won second place in the best video award for the open category. Photo | UOG A/Prof Sutthipong Srigrarom

“We look at the machines that we are competing against and not the background of their makers,” said Selvaraj Pichamuthu, Hogmanayers team member.

Assoc Prof Eicher Low, programme director, SIT, said that the student’s participation and achievement in the competition has help increase recognition of SIT-UOG aerospace programmes by the industry.

“Our students’ achievements in this competition is a validation of their ability to apply what they have learnt and I hope to see more students taking part in future competitions to show that they are all-rounders,” Low said.

Catch the award winning videos from Black Aces and Hogmanayers on YouTube.