To test the thrust from the engine, a measurement apparatus was constructed. This consisted of an engine mount onto which the engine was fixed. This mount was then placed onto a sliding shelf. A scale was attached to the engine. This scale was fixed to a sturdy object (in this case, a wall).
Once the engine is tuned, readings can be taken from the scale and the best propoeller can be selected for use with the airplane.
Here is a selection of pictures that show what happened during the first test flight of the airplane. Fortunantly, the plane was destroyed in the crash in such a way that the wing survived, but we had to rebuild the entire body and tail. This allowed us to make some necessary changes to the location of some components of the airplane, and therefore gave us a better location for the center of gravity of the airplane. We thank this test flight for allowing us to have a good plane during the competition.
After the destructive test flight of the first prototype, it was necessary to rebuild the airplane within the following five days so that it would be ready for the competition. Thanks to the dedication of the members of team Ninja Turtles, the entire plane was ready for its next flight within 48 hours of returning to Flagstaff.
After the reconstruction of Splinter, it was time to load up the airplane and go to the competition.
