Micro Aerial Vehicle Competition So How Did Notre Dame do at the 2000 MAV Competition? The outcome of the 2000 MAV Competition was both disappointing and frustating for the University of Notre Dame MAV Team. Despite numerous attempts, the ND MAV performed controlled glides, that is, flew stably in most attempts but was unable to sustain flight for more than a half minute or so. The reason for this has been determined to be an effect of altitude. The ND MAV was designed taking into account the change in air density between South Bend, Indiana (773 feet) and Fort Huachuca, Arizona (4,600 feet). It had been calculated that in order for the MAV to fly with a takeoff mass of 105 grams in Arizona, it needed to sustain flight with a takeoff mass of 115 grams in Indiana. In the months prior to the competition, the Notre Dame MAV was succesfully flight-tested up to a takeoff mass of 120 grams with an endurance of four minutes and a range of one mile (more than sufficient to achieve the competition mission). What had not been taken into account at the time of design was the effect of altitude on the performance of the engine. In Arizona, the engine performed very badly, never achieving even remotely the level of thrust which had been available in Indiana. In order to sustain flight, an aircraft requires lifting area and thrust, and unfortunately the thrust available in Fort Huachuca was obviously not large enough to sustain flight. The Notre Dame MAV Team returned from Fort Huachuca having learned valuable lessons on the importance of ALL aspects of a design and on how environmental factors can so significantly affect aircraft performance. The knowledge and experience gained by Notre Dame in this their first year competing will be invaluable in its efforts to design an entry for the 2001 MAV Competition. Home Members MAV Competition Notre Dame MAV Design MAV Research Photos & Video Resources