By Jonathan Ugbal
Six graduating students of the Department of Mechanical Engineering in Cross River University of Technology (CRUTECH) have designed and fabricated a single rotor helicopter.
The students Johnson Wonah, Ide Okokon, Nwadike Okechukwu, Princeton Tabontdip, Eteng Eteng and Agba Denis designed and fabricated the engineering piece as their practical project work which is a partial fulfilment of the requirements for the award of a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering.
The helicopter which drew the attention of several students when brought to the institution CrossRiverWatch learnt from the team, will aid in boosting the public profile of the institution and the country at large following the often touted belief that the country lacks talent and creativity in the aviation industry.
A member of the team, Eteng Eteng said avionics basic principles were applied saying “A helicopter basically has four forces acting on it which are the lift force with the weight been its opposite, the thrust force at the front and the drag force from behind, understanding this with a little more aided us in doing the job”.
Eteng who decried the money been spent in the aviation sector to get aircrafts working says there is a bright future for the aviation industry in Nigeria adding that he believes this can be achieved by “exposing students to rigorous practical work and not just theory” and went ahead to implore patience while doing so “failure; we saw how Abraham Lincoln handled it, we just have to keep trying and with rigorous practical coursework introduced to the curriculum, we will get there” he says.
The helicopter which was still lacking a pilot seat that will be fitted before presentation to lecturers, CrossRiverWatch gathered from the team is in good shape and will hover for longer than what was first gotten when all the finishing touches are completed.
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