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In their small workspace and garage behind the Kawauchi Gymnasium, a dozen or so members of the Tohoku University Windnauts are putting the final touches on their human-powered aircraft which they hope will soar to victory at this year's Japan International Birdman Rally.

The Windnauts will be competing against 15 other teams at the event on July 27 - 28. The teams will launch off a 10-meter-high jetty on Matsubara Beach in Shiga Prefecture to try to fly as far as possible over Lake Biwa.

The Windnauts have a good record at the annual event, having won it six times. Last year, their aircraft achieved a distance of 42837.78m in less than 2 hours of flight time. Although that only earned them second place, they broke the student record of 38010.28m previously held by Nihon University. This year, the team hopes to not only win, but to set another record.

The Windnauts' 71 members - 18 of whom are women - are divided into smaller working units, each responsible for one of their aircraft's main components. These include avionics, steering, wings, propellers and the cockpit. Each unit works independently, but everyone gets together once a month to share and coordinate their progress.

"When our seniors' campaign ended last July, we took some time to reflect and review what went well, what could be improved and what we should focus on for the coming year," said current Windnauts leader Masanobu Sataka. "We hope it will go well this year, but it's hard to tell at the moment. I feel like we still have a lot of work to do."

As every aircraft is designed around the pilot, this year's campaign began more than a year ago with the selection of third year engineering student Todo Naru. "I wanted to be part of something where I can give it my all and have good memories for my university life," said Todo, who underwent training to be the pilot and now keeps a strict workout routine where he rides both a regular and a recumbent bicycle for several hours each day.

"In 2023, we built a light aircraft that was capable of long flights with low power because our pilot was light and had low power but high endurance," said Sataka. "This year, we have Todo Naru who is heavier but also more powerful. So we have designed an aircraft that requires slightly more power but is more resistant to wind and capable of flying at higher speeds."

Engineering student Inagaki Shogo is the lead designer of this year's aircraft, which has been named Sou (颯), a Japanese word meaning to dash forward with the wind.

Inagaki has been working closely with Todo for the better part of half a year, getting feedback on ways to optimize the aircraft's design. "The main difference this year is in the wings. The new wings are smaller and have a different shape, which I think will make us go faster," he said.

The aircraft's primary structure consists of carbon pipes (CFRP), made by hand every year using skills passed down from senior members. "It's very time consuming and challenging, but we feel that it is important that we are making the parts ourselves," said Sataka. "In addition to carbon pipes, we also cut fairings from styrofoam blocks and make the propellers. Over 90 percent of the aircraft's components are handmade."

The team calibrated their airspeed sensor at the Institute of Fluid Science's low turbulence wind tunnel in early spring and began test flights in May - six at the Kakuda Gliding Field and 10 at the Kawauchi North Campus ground. "We were fortunate with the weather this year, allowing us to conduct more tests than usual. The pilot's control skills improved significantly with every test," said Sataka.

As busy as the last few weeks have been, the members know that the intensity will ramp up even further as they enter the final days of preparations. At midweek the aircraft will be loaded in parts onto a truck for the long drive to Hikone City. Todo and Inagaki - as pilot and designer - will also head for Lake Biwa for reconnaissance and an early look at the competition site. There they will oversee the assembly of the aircraft when it arrives, and make final checks and repairs.

The rest of the Windnauts will make their own way to Lake Biwa later in the week to provide additional support. And like the 15 other competing teams, they will spend the weekend sleeping outdoors on blue tarps with their aircraft. "What I've learnt from my time with the Windnauts is that humans are surprisingly resilient and that it's fun to have challenges," said Sataka. "Whatever results we get at the competition, I'm really proud of our efforts."

46th Annual Japan International Birdman Rally
Contest date: July 27 - 28, 2024
Venue: Lake Biwa, Hikone City, Shiga Prefecture
Live Stream: https://www.youtube.com/@ytvbirdman
Official TV Broadcast: Yomiuri TV, Nippon Television Network on September 4 at 7 p.m.