Hail No, a team from Texas A&M, aims to minimize hail damage to aircraft wings, operational delays, costly repairs and accidents. The team's design is similar to an airbag that would be installed over the leading and trailing edge of the aircraft wings using nylon straps to reduce the risk of it blowing off in a storm. Team member Jacob Azbell shares his insight on the competition.
Hail No team members include Umang Kantesaria, computer science and engineering; Azbell, electrical engineering; Bamidele Fadayomi, mechanical engineering; Jobin George Mathew, industrial engineering; Mazen Ali, mechanical engineering; and William Smith, manufacturing mechanical engineering technology.
Q: What has been the most memorable experience?
A: The most memorable experience was proving that a team of engineers that are still in school can apply their knowledge to create a product that is feasible and marketable in the real world.
Q: Did anything surprise you or come out of the experience that was unexpected?
A: I was surprised at how many diverse talents and skills, as well as personal insight, is necessary to piece together a design and bring it to fruition.
Q: Why did you pick your need statement?
A: The need statement stood out to me as something unique that could be approached from any angle because no one had ever attempted to create a solution to protect aircraft wings from hail.
Next steps
After the competition, the team will develop a design that encompasses every process involved in the use of the product, from deploying the system to retrieving and storing it. They will also calculate the cost of labor and parts involved to fully understand if it will function as expected and be as cost-efficient as calculated.