Egyptian gods and Greek myths

Icare II is cleared for take-off

The competition rules required construction plans to be submitted in 1995 and the completed aircraft to be tested on 1 May 1996. But none of the competitors were ready by this date.

The test flight date was then set for 7 July 1996. The participants were to present their completed solar aircraft as part of an air show at the German Airforce airfield in Laupheim. The aircraft were then assessed in their actual state. They were also to compete against each other in a flying contest.

Yet the flying contest had to be cancelled, as Icare II was the only craft to be completed. Yet the plane was able to demonstrate its airborne skills in a series of show flights. Although some of the jury's requirements were not met, Icare II was awarded the first prize of DM 100,000.

The gains from taking part in the competition cannot simply be expressed in terms of money. The term papers and diploma dissertations have already been mentioned, and this project also gave rise to some PhD theses and patents. The participants in the Icare project had the opportunity to work on an interdisciplinary and professional high-tech venture.
The undertaking was clearly also excellent publicity for the course at the university, as the numbers of new students increased considerably after this project.