The Eastern division of the SAE model heavy lift competition was just recently held in Ft. Worth, TX. I took the opportinuty to participate in helping out with photographing the event with Raymond Cervantes who has additional photos on his website, along with a DVD video he is making available of the event.

For those not familiar with this event. It is a multi-national event held in the US for students to build a model airplane and attempt to lift as much weight as possible. There are several classes ranging from small electric to large multi-engined, with the standard, single engine class being the most restrictive in the rules. More info scan be seen at the SAE website .

This year had teams come as far as Poland (which did very well) and South America (Brazil cleaned up). It is always fascinating to see the different designs that participate in the event. And it is never dull with each flight a likely disaster. In the standard class, the winning model lifted 31.7 lbs (14.4 Kg.) using a stock O.S. .61 engine.