Paper planes

Aeromodelling, once restricted to engineers and researchers, is slowly gaining popularity in India

All of us reminisce about our childhood when we modelled an aircraft with the help of twisted rubber bands, watching it take a brief flight before landing gracefully on the ground. Madhav Khare, an aeromodeller, is hoping to make this pastime hobby a competitive sport. Khare's organisation, Shastravahini, specialises in making model aircrafts using paper. He has collaborated with Alerios Aeroclub, a Pune-based club focusing on various aspects of aviation to inculcate hand-skills and experience-based learning among the youth. Together, they are hosting the first ever postal rubber powered aeromodelling competition that allows you to showcase your skills at the national level.

On registering, participants will receive a rubber powered aircraft kit which they must assemble at home. The assembled aircraft needs to be properly trimmed to achieve maximum flight time. "The competition will test the understanding of the participants and how meticulously they can follow the instructions to assemble the laser-cut model aircraft kit," says principal coordinator and chief mentor Khare, adding that to help, they have arranged virtual workshops and tutorial videos available on YouTube. The participant whose aircraft flies for the maximum duration wins the contest.

The activity, once restricted to engineers and researchers, is slowly gaining wider popularity in India. Khare clarifies that the hobby is anything but costly. "When people think about aeromodels, they think about remote controlled aircrafts or drones. Not only are they expensive, but flying them also requires permissions and licences. In contrast, aeromodelling is pocket friendly."

3GM
Weight of the aircraft

WHAT: Aeromodelling Contest
WHERE: https://www.alerios.in/aeroskills-2022 (Online registration till May 15)