Dianna Stanger, owner of Darkstar Air Racing, and members of her team visited the Department of Aerospace Engineering at Texas A&M University to meet with researchers and students, treating them to a personal tour of her L-39 racing jet and giving them a chance to interact with the pilots and crew members.
Darkstar Air Racing made history by fielding the only female-owned and piloted aircraft to compete in the jet class at the Reno Air Races in 2015. Another first for the team was the aircraft flown, an Aero Vodochody L-139, also owned by Stanger, that is a prototype and the only one in existence. The jet, flown by Vicky Benzing, placed fifth in the championship Gold Class, competing against jets with speeds of over 500 mph.
The Reno Air Races, officially known as the National Championship Air Races, comprise the longest running series of air races and the only closed course pylon race event. The jet class completes eight-mile laps that are sometimes no more than 50 feet above the ground. The all-female powerhouse team of Stanger, Benzing and Debby Rihn-Harvey (all pilots) paid a visit to the department at the invitation of Dr. Darren Hartl, assistant professor, to discuss options for collaborating with aerospace researchers on ways to improve the performance of their plane in hopes of winning in September 2019.
“It is a real honor that our department was considered as a potential team member for speeding up the Darkstar aircraft,” Hartl said. “It says a lot about the capabilities and reputation of our students and faculty.”
In addition to meeting with researchers, Hartl arranged for the team to tour the new Zachry Engineering Education Complex, as well as the Oran W. Nicks Low Speed Wind Tunnel and the flight simulator in the Vehicle, Systems and Control Laboratory. The team also met with a number of faculty and a cadre of invited students, including student pilots, for lunch in the department.
In turn, Stanger and her team invited members of the Aggie Aerospace Women in Engineering and other aerospace students to tour the L-39 plane at Easterwood Airport. The students had a chance to walk around the plane, climb into the cockpit and talk directly to all three pilots.
“It is so important that our students have a chance to meet with these leading women in aviation, and also that they be reminded of how fun and exciting aerospace engineering really is,” Hartl said. “I am so thankful to Dianna and her team for bringing that reminder to Texas A&M.”