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The latest buzz in the aerospace engineering department doesn’t involve a juicy piece of gossip. It comes from dozens of remote control model airplane engines and one of the fastest growing and far reaching groups in the BCoE – Sky Dawgs Remote Control and Rocketry Club.

“Sky Dawgs started five years ago as an air show to raise money for the August Raspet student chapter of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics,” club president Cedric Gould said. “It’s been growing ever since and last year we had enough demand to organize a specific club for remote control fliers.”

Although its membership consists primarily of aerospace and mechanical engineering students, the Sky Dawgs Remote Control and Rocketry Club is open to all model airplane enthusiasts in the Golden Triangle. The club’s air shows draw large crowds and pilots come from as far away as Arkansas to participate in the events and impress others with their skill. In addition to its obvious entertainment appeal for spectators and pilots alike, this pint-sized hobby also has big-time educational value for participants.

“People, especially aerospace students, can learn a lot from flying and building remote controlled airplanes,” Gould explained. “It helps get your foot in the door and gives you a leg up on other students in your classes. It helps give students a better understanding of aerodynamics, propulsion and the stability and control of flight vehicles.”

The design, construction and maintenance of these remote vehicles provides hands-on experience and solidifies theories introduced in classes, giving students more confidence in their academic pursuits and ability to work with their hands. It also shows students a part of aerospace engineering that is often overlooked by exposing them to other applications of the science they are studying.

“I got into remote control flying really big my senior year at State. When I did, I found myself doing things and fixing things with my hands that I wouldn’t have done before,” explained Nathan King, a graduate student in aerospace engineering. “I began to see how it helps people in my major see principles at work. You can see things on a smaller scale and actually get to experience them, so it’s a nice little niche.”

When he started in engineering, King had his sights set on working for a large aerospace firm after graduation, but when that time came he was able to take another path thanks to his new-found hobby. While he works to finish his master’s thesis, he is living in Illinois where he works for one of the largest manufacturers of model airplane kits.

“I really enjoy my job and it’s really neat bringing your hobby to work. Just being able to sit around and mess with airplanes all day is a lot of fun,” King said.

Engineers like King help create ready to fly (RTF) and almost ready to fly (ARF) kits, so people of all skill levels can enjoy remote control flying. He explains that RTFs can be in the air within three hours, while ARFs allow the pilot to have a hand in it’s completion and ready for take-off with only six to 10 hours of construction time. However, he cautions that taking an RC vehicle airborne requires practice.

“You need someone to show you how to do it. It’s an acquired skill that you have to practice, but people around the Golden Triangle are lucky to have a club in the area,” King noted. “The Sky Dawgs have a trainer, which is an airplane with a buddy box, which is similar to flying a full-scale airplane with an instructor. If you get into trouble the person training can take control of the vehicle. So, a person interested in flying can just contact the club or visit their Web site. They are happy to arrange times for people to come out and give it a try.”

Currently, the club uses Starkville’s Bryan Field as a location for their air shows and a grass plot on North Farm for practice flights, but with help from the community and other supporters they hope to begin construction on their own, permanent airstrip. In addition to helping the club obtain its goal, air show entry fees, raffles and concession sales help raise money for aerospace engineering student design teams, which compete with other universities internationally.

“With permission from the university we hope to establish a new flying site. It would not only benefit our club as an entertainment organization, but it would also give our design teams the opportunity and facilities necessary to flight test their designs prior to competition,” Gould explained. “It would be a great help in alleviating the safety issue of flying experimental models in the proximity of full sized airplanes. Hopefully, with a little support, we can make that happen.”

For more information about the Sky Dawgs Remote Control and Rocketry Club, please visit www.ae.msstate.edu/~skydawgs or contact club president Cedric Gould at cog9@ae.msstate.edu. For information about the aerospace engineering department and its student design teams, please contact department head Tony Vizzini at 662.325.1148 or vizzini@ae.msstate.edu.