The 2012 MFS Youth Award is presented for the construction and programming of a dicopter

In the introduction to their senior thesis, the two students write: “The dicopter is an aircraft equipped with two transverse rotors—a novelty in the field of aviation—which is why there are currently very few studies on the subject. The main motivation for this project was to deepen our understanding of a little-studied subject and to have the opportunity to introduce new, innovative elements.” The goal of the project is to operate the aircraft not with a conventional radio control system, but autonomously by assigning it missions via a programmed module and a GPS. The two soon-to-be graduates have thus set the bar very high.

Even though, due to a lack of time, the construction and flight testing of the dicopter could not be completed, the two builders demonstrated abilities well above average, particularly in the theoretical aspect. They themselves write in the 100 pages of their report: “It must be acknowledged that, in its current state of construction, the dicopter cannot fly. While mechanical improvements could certainly be considered, the crux of the problem lies in the stabilization, which depends on the PID (‘proportional-integral-derivative’) controller. Investigating the factors that would have enabled the dicopter to fly requires resources that, due to time constraints, could not be utilized.”

During a meeting with the MFS team of experts, the two winners provided a wealth of ideas, step-by-step procedures, experiences, results, and many details—including those related to the program code—in writing. The experts appointed by the MFS Board of Directors to award the 2012 MFS Youth Prize explicitly noted this and decided to award the prize to Marvin Gorkiewicz and Cédric Duverney. Sincere congratulations. A big thank you to the team of experts, especially to Martin Wieckhorst of Quadrokopter Shop Schweiz (flyinghigh.ch) for his help and expertise.

When I see work like this, I am convinced that the breed of designer-builders will not die out. These are young people who, driven by a passion for innovation, are trying a new approach and giving it their all. ■

Emil Ch. Giezendanner
(freely translated by T. Ruef)