GROUP 4: at-8 phoenix
Team Members: Adam Ellis, Alyssa Sanchez, Anthony Lessa, Dakota Roy, Daniel Valencia, David Hargrave, Dillon Mickel,
Ena Schentrup, Gavin Gamble, and Logan Molaschi
Abstract: As climate change worsens, the number and intensity of wildfires is rapidly increasing across the nation. In 2018, wildfires costs $148.5 billion dollars in California alone. The AT-8 Phoenix was specially designed to fill a void in aeronautics. The AT-8 Phoenix will be the first aircraft specifically designed to combat forest fires on a large scale while minimizing the cost and maintenance. Powered by four 7,500 shp propeller engines, with a cruise speed of 300 knots and a range of 5,100 nm, the Phoenix will be manned by a 3-person crew with a cockpit accommodating the 95th percentile of pilots. The Phoenix can carry 8,000 gallons, or 72,000 pounds, of fire retardant and is comprised of eight 1,000-gallon gravity fed tanks. To maintain the center of gravity as constant as possible for stability purposes, a control system is in place to release the fire retardant two tanks at a time for a total of four 2,000 gallon drops per flight. Ease of maintenance was considered by implementing a single cargo door in the fuselage for the crew to enter and exit the plane as well as to remove tanks and parts when needed. The Phoenix has a payload drop speed of 115 knots and a maneuvering speed of 205 knots to ensure that the pilots will have enough time to properly position themselves for each drop. The Phoenix is a revolutionary, durable, light weight firefighting aircraft weighing a maximum of 185,174 pounds with a semi-monocoque structure. The AT-8 Phoenix is the future.
Group 4’s 90-Second Pitch:
Group’s link to Poster
Oral Design Presentation Zoom