By: Maura Driscoll '15
After placing 13th overall in last year’s competition, the members of Union’s SAE Aero Team (the Flying Dutchmen) earned the eighth overall spot this year, and finished fourth for U.S. teams.
Flying a record-breaking weight for Union of 26.4 pounds, the team was just points away from clinching the seventh spot. Prior to the start of competition, the Flying Dutchmen were also forced to rebuild their plane, as it crashed during testing the day before.
Seniors Bessena Cabe, Charles Bouchard, Jeff Ehrlich, Jason Hargreaves and Joshua Rathgeb were those responsible for constructing the remote-controlled plane with a 10-foot wingspan.
According to advisor Brad Bruno, associate professor of mechanical engineering, the team showed “excellent sportsmanship,” as they lent another team an engine so that they could get their plane going and be able to compete.
“They were an incredibly hard-working, resilient team and represented Union in a way that made me very proud,” Bruno said.