Living together in a house, biking to work and listening to music all day is almost like being at summer camp for a group of University of Toronto students. But at this camp, their summer-end performance will be an attempt to make aviation history in New Tecumseth.
The engineering students are building a human-powered, flapping-wing aircraft, or ornithopter (HPO). The 10 students have been working out of a barn at the Great Lakes Gliding Club on the 6th Line of New Tecumseth since the beginning of summer. They are hoping to test the HPO on the runway mid-August. A successful flight would be a first.
"We're learning a lot here that would take another four years of school to learn in the classroom," said Cameron Robertson, structures and materials team leader.
The design of the machine seems simple enough. One person operates the HPO from the row bike in the fairing, or fuselage. Wires from the row bike are attached to the wings on top and rudder at the back for steering.
Putting it all together is anything but simple. Each piece of equipment is carefully calculated and constructed, and its capability tested before making the final piece.
Once complete, the HPO will have a 28-metre wingspan and be made mostly of light-weight material such as styrofoam, carbon fibre, Kevlar (a strong, synthetic fibre), and mylar (a clear plastic). In August, Robertson expects the HPO to get five to 10-feet off the ground and reach speeds around 27 km/hr.
"It's not particularly fast, it's basically the same speed as riding a bike," said Robertson.
While Robertson said human-powered aircraft is the pinnacle of power in terms of efficiency, it's not realistic for the future of aircrafts to be human-powered.
He said fuel remains the only way to provide large aircrafts with sufficient power to fly. With the cost sky rocketing, any new technology using light-weight, efficient material is good for the industry. That's how these students aim to leave their mark.
"It's to achieve what has not been done," said Todd Reichert, project manager. "If we can learn how to do this, the skills we have acquired through it - we've become better engineers."
After the test flights this summer, the group is heading back to the University of Toronto. They are each finishing courses for their masters of science, bachelor of science or doctorate at the University of Toronto Institute for Aerospace Studies.
Through the school year they'll meet weekly to study and refine the information gained this summer.
"Next summer the goal is to build an aircraft that is similar, but better in every respect," said Robertson.
At the end of summer 2009 they want to navigate their HPO through the Kremer figure-of-eight course. The course will require them to fly figure eights around markers set half a mile apart. It's the course the first human-powered aircraft flew in 1977 and has been used to mark the success of human-powered aircraft since.
It's a coincidence the U of T students landed in Tottenham for the summer. Over a month into the project, it's proving to be a location that is helping make the project even better.
"We decided almost as soon as we came here that this was the place we wanted to be. For us it generated instant excitement," said Robertson. "Being out here allows us to have our own space and focus, that's critical with what we wanted to do on this project."
The gliding club is also more than helpful. Members are allowing the group to use their airfield and barn, giving the students gliding lessons and offering skilled help when needed. The morning of the interview one of the members of the gliding club helped the students weld pieces of the HPO together.
"It's surprising how many connections the people at the gliding club have," said Reichert.
The HPO team also approached New Tecumseth council in June. Council approved a $1,000 grant for their HPO project.
