The Department of Aerospace Engineering’s launched “The Aerospace Week” that will last until Friday (May 1). There will be exhibitions both in the Engineering Building Hall and in front of the library. Moreover, the “Hydraulic Rocket,” “Hand-Throwing Plane,” “Paper Plane” and “Flying Gyroscope” competitions will be help at the sports ground and also in front of the library. The winners will get winner certificates and self-made fine prizes by the Department of Aerospace Engineering.

Hand-throwing planes are made by students with wood blades, and the thrown plane flying longest in the sky will get the first prize; the hydraulic rocket that can hit the bull’s eye of the target from the longest distance will win the prize. The contestants for these two events are Aerospace Engineering freshmen, and the winners’ products will be placed in the exhibition areas. Besides, in order to let the entire university have the sense of participation, the Department of Aerospace Engineering has introduced the “Paper Plane Competition” and revived the “Flying Gyroscope Competition” that discontinued five years ago, and so all TKU people can take part in them. It is the first time to have the “Paper Plane Competition” this year, and the Department will provide participants with necessary materials, letting them make their own paper planes according to their own creativity and recall their own childhood. In addition, the Department will make flying rings with tins for the “Flying Gyroscope Competition” in front of the library. The flying ring that can hit most of the checks will win the prize. The president of Department Association, Yin-jie Wang says that the above two competitions are for enjoyment and interest, so everyone is welcome.

The exhibition will have a UAV Model by the TKU UAV Lab, which won the 2nd prize in the 2009 Taiwan Robot Aircraft Design Competition, and it will let everybody peep the secret of the robot aircraft. Besides, the exhibition will also show research achievements such as the General Report on Micro-Micro Satellite which won the 1st prize in the National Aerospace Special Topic Competition. It’ll also provide a virtual experiment area, letting faculty and students experience computer simulated flight experience. ( ~Dean X. Wang )