Event

An ornithopter is a mechanical flying bird, the first concepts of which have been found in the scrapbooks of Leonardo da Vinci (see picture). Build the best ornithopter you can with simple materials, and make Leonardo da Vinci proud!

Format

You have to build an aircraft that mimics the way a bird flies by flapping its wings (ornithopter). The wings must be designed to not only generate lift but also thrust. Observing the fact that it will be difficult for participants to make the ornithopter in a short span of 2 days at the event venue, we are now allowing you to make it beforehand and bring it for the competition. Therefore, we will not provide materials on the spot now to any team. You may procure the materials on your own, some sources for which are mentioned under Resources.

Problem Statement

A rubber motor powered, flapping wing driven bird may be constructed from published plan(s), commercial kit and/or a student's design as long as the specifications below are satisfied:

• Each bird must be powered by a rubber band.
• Each bird must have a monoplane configuration. That means only one pair of flapping wings, one on the left and one on the right. Any stabilizer or lifting surface other than the flapping wings must be located aft of the rear motor hook.
• The structure must be made entirely from wood and paper, except as follows:
  • Metal or plastic may be used in the flapping mechanism, wing hinges, and motor hooks. Joints may be reinforced with tissue paper soaked in glue.
  • Materials such as carbon fibre, boron, and Kevlar are not allowed.
  • The use of any type of winder (a special device that allows you to put more turns into the rubber band) is permitted.
• The motor stick must consist of a single piece of solid wood. The tail boom, if present, must also consist of a single piece of solid wood.

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Rules and Regulations

• A team can consist of a maximum of 4 members.
• The ornithopter must fly for a minimum of 10 seconds.
• Models will be hand-launched. A stopwatch will be used to time each flight. The time begins at launch (when it leaves the hand of the participant) and ends when the model touches the floor.
• Each team is allowed three timed flights. The best one counts as the score.
• The maximum wingspan of the Ornithopter must not exceed a circle of diameter of 80 cm.
• Once teams enter the testing/flying area to compete, they must not leave the area or receive outside assistance, materials or communication until they are finished competing. Only competitors and judges will be allowed inside the testing/flying areas. The event supervisor shall have a separate designated area away from the competitors’ area for coaches, parents, and other spectators. Any team violating this paragraph shall be disqualified.
• For queries and clarifications, contact vihang[at]conscientia[dot]co[dot]in.

Eligibility
Open to all college students with valid ID cards.

Judgement and Evaluation

• The launch point and the touchdown point will be used to compute the displacement, H.
• The CG of the ornithopter will be considered for measuring the displacement, H.
• The score is calculated by using the following equation; participants must design accordingly. SCORE = [Displacement, H (in cm)] + 3×[Time of flight, T (in seconds)]
  S = H + 3T
• If the time of flight, T, differs by 2 seconds (and displacement is same) for any two participants, then it will be considered a draw.
• The decision of the judges/organisers will be final and binding under all circumstances.

Resources

Materials

Some common materials required for making an ornithopter are:

• balsa wood
• basswood
• aircraft plywood
• aircraft rubber band
• aircraft tissue
• aluminium tubes
• steel wires
• cutting tools, etc.

You are also encouraged to try building using scrap/waste materials e.g. ice-cream sticks instead of balsawood, saline bottle tubes instead of aluminium tubes etc.

The Indian Hobby Centres located at Kolkata, Delhi, Bengaluru, Mumbai and some other major cities can be contacted for the procurement of materials for making the ornithopter. Addresses and contact nos. of a few of them:

KOLKATA
Russel Street, Lala Lajpat Rai Sarani, Kolkata 700071
Phone: 033-22261910

DELHI
K-26, Connaught Circus, New Delhi GPO, Delhi 110001
Phone: 011-23322111

BENGALURU
# 104/5, Shakthi Bazaar, Commercial Street, Bengaluru, Karnataka 560001

CHENNAI
Rayala Tower, Shop #31, #781, (Near M C S Subway), Anna Salai, Chennai, Tamil Nadu 600002
Phone: 044-28520783

MUMBAI
Mayur Girgaum, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400004
Phone: 022-23823125

Flying Tips

Here are some contest flying tips which might help the participants in general:

• Use of lubricants: It helps in preventing tearing of the rubber band.
• Make a lot of test flights: Making a lot of test flights before contest day will help you get better results. Two models can perform much differently from each other, because of minor differences like the size of the crank or the age of the rubber band.
• Weight reduction: Make the ornithopter as light as possible. However, if the wings are too flexible, the ornithopter might not fly properly.
• Apart from these, you can also do some simple modifications like varying the size of wings, length of connecting rods, etc.

Besides, a video will be uploaded here soon featuring the description of making an ornithopter from its raw materials.

For further guidelines, you can log on to www.ornithopter.org.