Aurora's First Flight Is Completed!

On May 25, Aeronautics team visited Larissa for Aurora’s first flight. Aurora is an Unnamed Aerial Vehicle (UAV), Glider type and constitutes one of our two participations at this year’s Air Cargo Challenge (ACC) in Stuttgart. At the same time, Nephele, which is our second participation of a different design, is being constructed.
One day before leaving for Larissa, we made sure we had completed all necessary preparations. We wanted to have the whole day ahead of us, therefore we started early in the morning. The first thing everyone expected once we arrived in Larissa, was the first check from our pilot. His positive nod boosted us with confidence and that’s how we knew it was going be a good day for A.S.A.T.
Aurora took the runway and in a few minutes her first flight was a fact. Easy take-off and landing as well as extremely stable flight behavior, were some of the aircraft’s main features. Our effective predictions of both the aerodynamic coefficients and the stability and control factors, were evident. Its maximum speed was 102 km/h. However, Aurora’s flight has also shown us that further improvements in the construction and the attachments of electronic systems are desirable.
Trying to sum up this flight day, it was clear that as we were heading to Larissa we were overwhelmed with feelings, such as anxiety and impatience but also,excitement and confidence. But finally, after Aurora’s flight, we all had the same feeling which is shown in the picture above. Pride!