February Newsletter

Aero

Polar Air has just completed its Final Design Report for the 2023 competition. With the report out of the way and two successful test flights of our prototype aircraft, we are moving on to construction of our final two competition planes. We need to have the two planes ready by the first week of March, as we will be leaving for competition in Lakeland, Florida on March 6th. We have also just held a grand opening event for our exhibit at the Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada, and we’re working on a formal design presentation that we’ll deliver virtually at the start of March. Wish us luck as we head towards the finish line of our season!

Baja

UMSAE Baja is now wrapping up its design phase and rapidly transitioning into its manufacturing phase. We recently completed our final design review with various alumni, advisors, and industry participants in attendance to get feedback on the final iteration of our design. We’ve also done a complete teardown of our previous vehicle and are now excited in building a brand new one from the ground up for the upcoming competition. We are aiming to have a fully drivable vehicle by the end of March and fully test our vehicle in April and May before leaving for competition.

Formula

Formula has been making progress in building our 2023 vehicle to be ready for the Formula Michigan – May competition. The different sections of our vehicle including engine, drivetrain, aerodynamics, brakes & uprights, and controls are all being assembled off the vehicle to ensure they have all necessary components and will soon be assembled in the chassis! Recently our Structural Equivalency Spreadsheet (SES) was approved by the SAE International design judges, which means we can complete the final steps in our chassis manufacturing and go full steam ahead in building our vehicle!

Electric

Despite the setbacks we have recently endured regarding sourcing our frame, the Formula Electric team have continued to work towards the ultimate goal of building ePBR23, with a new goal to attend the Pittsburgh Shootout on September 2nd. Our mechanical team continues to source and construct the various mechanical systems, including the frame, suspension, powertrain, and accumulator, and on top of that, our SES form has been accepted by SAE International! Meanwhile, our electrical and software teams have been working tightly together to construct the circuit boards and programs that pertain to vehicle control and data acquisition.