World 3 · Aero Club competitions
Competition arena
Fixed-wing planes we designed, built and flew ourselves, at competitions across India.
I started as a co-pilot, became a pilot, and designed parts of the planes that won.
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How we flew to win
We were very strategic about how much weight we carry. We don't just go and fly. We see what the competitors are carrying and go a bit more than them, so we can safely win.
First place is the target, but we will not risk missing the podium.
Crashes in practice are very common. Every competition we rebuild the plane, for many different reasons.
Co-pilot, in Crocs
2022, Aerophilia at Sahyadri. My first competition, as co-pilot: I guided the pilot through the hoops and called when to release the payload. We took 1st place.
At IIT Bombay we had to drop golf balls into a ring. One mistake I made: I wore Crocs. The mud was very slippery, I slipped, and I think I messed up the first take-off. The second time I removed my slippers and just ran barefoot, and it worked. No podium that time.
I missed my first chance to fly as pilot. I had become irregular with my simulator practice and lost my slot. I had to wait a whole year.
The wing that comes apart
2023, SAE Drone Development Challenge. A hand-flown plane with no flight controller, built to carry as much as possible for its weight.
I designed the wing: a detachable wing that made the plane very compact to carry.
Ours was the lightest aircraft, the lightest box, and the heaviest payload carried. A 1 kg airframe that carried up to 2.3 kg.
All India Rank 1.
My first flight as pilot
Back at Sahyadri, a year later, as pilot for the first time. We had to do stunts.
I had been learning the wrong names for the stunts. I wouldn't blame anybody. I was the one competing, I should have done my own research.
On my turn the assessor told me the name I was calling was wrong. I got distracted, and instead of keeping my eye on the plane I looked at the person assessing us. You never lose sight of your aircraft.
Within a few seconds the plane had passed over my head. By the time I tried to regain control, the orientation was lost. I gave some harsh stick movements, and it crashed.
Five seconds off the ground
2024, the Boeing zonals at IIT Kharagpur, as pilot.
The plane was so heavy it took a long time to gain height. For almost 5 seconds it was grazing the ground. If it touches, my round is over. It didn't touch.
When I landed, one golf ball fell out and they called it invalid. So there were design-level problems in my plane.
I came third.
The frame I built and did not fly with
2024, SAE Autonomous Drone Development Challenge. A quadcopter that flies from A to B by itself, drops an egg into a basket, and comes back.
I built the frame, and learned a bit of PID tuning (the settings that keep a drone stable) with the team. I handed over the frame designs before the event.
I did not go to the competition. The team took All India Rank 1.
The servo failed, so I flew stunts
2024, the Boeing finals. We each had to design our own frame. Usually we fit the payload inside the plane. I said no, I'm keeping it outside. I wanted the plane itself to be sleek.
There was not enough runway, so we had to throw the planes, and there was a wall right after the throw.
The payload-drop servo failed during my run. My payloads dropped early and I couldn't do anything. We had lots of time left, so I just flew it around, did some stunts, and landed. At least do something people might like.
Shared third place.