Despite only having been a recognized student organization (RSO) since mid-October, UNH Aero has hosted a number of events, such as Sikorsky Vice President Michael Ambrose’s guest speaker event and a trip to Raytheon’s private jet department at Bradley International Airport.
UNH Aero is an RSO at the university centered around aerospace and aviation. The club typically meets weekly in Buckman 116, the mechanical engineering lab.
While hosting these events, UNH Aero has also been working on constructing a glider and additional planes in compliance with the guidelines set by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) for their IAM3D competition, working with both foam models and 3D printed models.
Despite not competing in the event, the club still received funding from USGA, which Aero President Dan Folloni believes is a result of the club’s activity. “I think a big reason why we received our funding is because we are one of the most active and ambitious clubs on campus,” he said.
Folloni is proud of the club’s activities and said, “All this progress was made possible by our amazing members who are very passionate about our mission and goals. USGA recognized our potential, we are very grateful for their trust and support.”
Folloni has been passionate about flying from a young age and has gone as far as earning a private pilot’s license.
“Starting an aerospace themed club was an idea that I played with for a while, and I felt that last Fall was the time to start,” he said.
The club has been working on their competition glider since the start of the semester, working together with ASME. “We decided with ASME to start the project early on in the semester. That’s when we decided to co-host weekly meetings,” Folloni said.
The decision to co-host meetings was made as the project involves aspects from ASME as well as Aero’s vision, Folloni said, “I knew several of the ASME eBoard prior, and it was an easy decision because it combines aspects from both organizations.”
Folloni hopes to see the glider take flight by the end of the semester alongside other planes. “We plan to have the competition aircraft flying by the end of the semester along with several other planes. I’m certain that there will always be room for improvement on the design. But we have much larger plans that are a lot bigger than the Glider completion,” he said.
While some of the club’s work is advanced, it is open to those interested from all skill levels. Folloni said, “I think something great about the club is that we have technical ambitions, but at a level that everyone can enjoy. We have projects for all skill levels and time commitments. At the top of the skill curve would be our custom designed additive manufactured aircraft.”
Those interested in keeping up with UNH Aero can follow their instagram page (@unewhavenaeroclub) and those interested in joining can fill out the interest form linked to the account.
