The year is 2058 and a powerful earthquake off the coast of Hawaii has shaken the state into a disastrous condition. Due to the gravity of the situation, an emergency evacuation is necessary. However, all major runways in the island have suffered significant damage, forcing a Federal Aviation Administration-directed closure of airports, and the grounding of all aircraft except one: the Ohio State University PUMA. Capable of landing on uneven terrain, coming to a complete stop in less than 3,000 feet, and powerful enough to carry 30,000 pounds of cargo, the PUMA is the best disaster response aircraft in its category.

This was the scenario on the minds of eight Ohio State students, members of the Ohio State University NASA Design Team. The team formed to answer NASA’s challenge: design the next-generation “DC-3-type” aircraft. That is, design a new aircraft capable of revolutionizing the standards of today’s aviation as to noise reduction, runway length usage, and cost, as well as passenger and cargo limits, all in an environmentally friendly “green” aircraft. As one of the members of the Ohio State team, Alvaro Hernández, a sophomore in Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering from Caracas, Venezuela, took on the responsibility of designing the location and functions of some of the flight controls of the wing, as well as contributed to the aerodynamic aspects of the design.

The PUMA project began in late November 2007 and was delivered to NASA in late April 2008. Ohio State’s involvement began with one student, Kevin Disotell, who initially heard about the world-wide NASA challenge and decided to act. Interestingly, all eight people contacted by Disotell as possible team members rose to the challenge … the rest is history.

During the challenge, the team experienced many difficult situations that threatened the success of the final design. Good communication, team-work and accountability proved to be critical in achieving their eventual success. “Early in the project it was very difficult for the team to decide on one approach and one solution… everybody wanted to execute their idea,” Hernández recalls. “In response, we came up with a voting method that made all decisions democratic and fully supported by the team.”

With the basic idea and procedures in place, the group of sophomores attempted to find an advisor willing to support the team through the design phases, a capability that this eight-member group (with only one aerospace engineering course) lacked. The team found the right individual in Dr. Gerald Gregorek, professor of Aerospace Engineering, who supported early exposure to aircraft design as an excellent opportunity to motivate students and provide hands-on experience.

Soon, team members discovered that the unique demands of the project, taken in addition to their responsibilities as full-time students created a new challenge, how to effectively manage the project and organize their time. “We quickly learned the benefits of ‘dividing and conquering’ to help us achieve our goal,” remarked Hernández, “by dividing the project into eight sub-areas (for the eight members), each student was able to achieve a meaningful progress on their respective area before the weekly meetings.”
Given the commitment of the team members, the end result was not surprising. Competing against teams made up of mostly seniors in Aeronautics programs nationwide (many with past experience in the competition) the Ohio State PUMA team waited for four weeks for the results of their first ever participation. Then came NASA’s exciting announcement of the final results: Ohio State’s design was awarded an outstanding third place among 14 colleges and universities around the globe.

The Ohio State team quickly discovered that their successful finish was only the tip of the iceberg. They found themselves being recognized by the aerospace industry, in the national magazine Air and Space, and were asked by NASA to present their project at the Fundamental Aeronautics Program Annual Meeting Oct. 7 in Atlanta, Georgia.

“As a team member, I feel privileged to be part of such an amazing group of people. I am looking forward to the endeavor of next year’s competition in which the team, now more than 20 students, has made its goal to achieve first place,” continued Hernández. “The PUMA team is a clear example of great opportunities outside the classroom that not only will help me achieve my academic goals, but have made me a very interesting candidate in the eyes of job recruiters and graduate schools.”