Hosted by Chinese Aerospace Association and organized by Department of Aerospace Engineering, TKU, the 26th Great Flight Cup Championship took place at Tamsui campus on March 12 and 13. Among the various competitors, TKU team, led by Professor Der-ming Ma, beat the other teams (seven schools and nine groups) and won the first place, the award for best report, and the award for best production in “Competition of Remote Unmanned Aerial Vehicles.” The last time TKU received the championship was five years away, in the year of 2000.
This year, there were seven schools joining in the competitions, including TKU, National Cheng Kung University, Feng Chia University, Air Force Academy, Air Force Institute Of Technology, Chung Cheng Institute of Technology, and National Formosa University. The regulations did neither limit the choice of materials nor circumscribe the design. The only requirement is that the flyer should bear at least four kilograms and it should take off within 60 meters of sliding. To be fair, motor is prohibited.
The TKU team from Department of Aerospace Engineering, “Albatross,” performed just as the name suggested—flying high and far—and won the championship. “Albatross,” whose body are made of light but strong carbon fiber and glass fiber, whose alighting gear is made of titanium, is equipped with delicate remote control system to transit instant data and visuals to the monitor during its flight. The whole design and construction has taken one year. The team was led by Professor Der-ming Ma, whose members included 9 seniors (Lu Cheng-hong, Huang Chen-yu, Lai Yiu-hong, Lin Li-chih, Lin Yi-hsiu, Fang Chi-wei, Ou Yi-tai, Tseng Li-che, Chen Kuen-liang), 5 juniors (Tseng Yu-hsiang, Huang Chong-kuan, Chen Yi-fan, Chen Pei-chung, Chiu Cheng-yung), and 6 sophomores (Lin Che-yiu, Chen Yun-tin, Chen Yiu-ming, Chang Chun-yien, Huang Pei-yin, Kao Chien-hsiang). Chen Pei-chung indicated that “Our success is attributed to the instruction of Professor Ma, the cooperation of all the members, and the facilities and supports of the school. However, we have a long way to go to make a real UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle).”
In addition, the sport events in the Great Flight Cup Championship were not upset by the unstable weather. Beside football, dodge ball, and tug of war, which were cancelled due to the rain, all other sports events took place as planned. The audience, fearless of the chilly weather, cheered at the sportsmen and made Tamsui campus bustling with joy. TKU teams performed well in the sport events too, with the champions in female volleyball and female basketball, the runner-up in table tennis, and the third place in softball and billiards. (Chi-szu Chen)
