The AceAir Challenge

Case Introduction
Welcome, detectives! Everything you need to get started in your investigation is at your fingertips! Click the links below to learn the problem situation, your role, and the criteria for the case. Be sure to review the steps in the problem-solving process!

Here's the Situation!
AceAir has invited your company to submit a design for the next small plane they will build. The plane must carry 2, 4, or 6 passengers and travel between St. Louis Missouri and Washington D.C. in less than 6 hours. After the airplane design is submitted, a review panel for AceAir will analyze all the designs received and award contracts to the companies with the most promising designs.

Your Role in the Case!
As the aircraft designer, you need to research and understand the forces that act on a plane and learn how different parts of a plane work when subjected to these forces.

The AceAir Design Lab [requires Flash] has a collection of airplane parts from which you can choose when designing your small plane.

The Criteria for the Case
AceAir has given you access to their Design Lab [requires Flash], which is full of plane parts that can be used to design your small plane. They have also provided a Design Log to help keep track of the design process.

Keep the following points in mind as you build the design:

• The plane must carry 2, 4, or 6 passengers.
• The plane must be capable of traveling from St. Louis, Missouri to Washington, D.C. in less than 6 hours.
• Your plane must fly! For it to fly, the maximum lift must be greater than the plane's weight, and the thrust must be greater than its drag.
• Use the map and calculator to determine the distance the plane must travel and how fast it must fly.