On July 29 - 30, the 45th Japan International Birdman Rally was held in Hikone City, Shiga Prefecture. The Tohoku University Windnauts participated in the "human-powered propeller-driven aircraft" category, and took second place.
Piloted by Daichi Iwata, a third-year student at the School of Engineering, the Windnauts' aircraft achieved a distance of 42837.78m in less than 2 hours of flight time, breaking the previous student record of 38010.28m held by Nihon University.
"It was very hot on the day of competition, and Daichi fought throught the heat to set a new record. Even though we didn't win, I think we achieved a great result." said Takaaki Kawahito, a third-year engineering student and leader of the Windnauts.
The Windnauts' aircraft was designed by a team led by fellow third-year engineering student Kazuki Ogawa. "We would like to thank the companies that sponsored us and provided us with materials, the alumni who passed on their knowledge and experience, and everyone who supported us," Kawahito added.
The annual Birdman Rally - which was broadcast nationally this year on August 30 - features attempts to fly as far as possible over Lake Biwa in a human-powered aircraft. Teams launch off a jetty on Matsubara Beach in Hikone City.
The Windnauts have a good record in the "human-powered propeller-driven aircraft" category, and were defending champions going into this year's contest. The club's new executive team will now begin building a new aircraft from scratch for next year's competition.
Contact:
Activity Support Section
Tohoku University Education and Student Support Department
Tel: 022-795-3983
Email: sta-kagai
grp.tohoku.ac.jp
