A group of Penn State undergrads were able to take home first place at a design competition last week after designing a badass helicopter, called “Griffin”.

The AHS International Student Design Competition is a yearly event that tasks students with designing a vertical lift aircraft that meets certain requirements. This year, students were given the challenge of designing an helicopter that could fly during natural disasters. The design needed to be able to carry large payloads as well as reach the destination in the timely manner.

Penn State was able to win with a design they called the “Griffin,” which was a tiltrotor aircraft. According to Aviation Week, “(Griffin) is distinguished by a slender, reduced-thickness composite tailored wing to reduce weight, drag and downwash. Blackburn slotted flaps  increase lift during transition and incorporate active flow control to prevent separation when fully deployed to reduce download in the hover. Outboard wing sections provide roll control and tilt with the nacelles to reduce drag and download.”

For winning, two members of the Penn State team will have the pleasure of attending the  AHS International’s 70^th Annual Forum and Technology Display next May. While there, they will get to present the details of their proposal.