New Member Resources
Welcome To Miners In Flight!
Thank you for your interest in the S&T Miner Aviation Student Design Team! We are happy to have you join the team and begin your journey in the aerospace industry. To help you get started, we have laid out some tools and resources to help you learning about aircraft, our team, and how we operate. As a student design team, we design, build, and test RC aircrafts that can be as small as a loaf of bread or as big as a couch. Almost every part of our aircraft is built in-house at the Student Design and Experiential Learning Center (SDELC) and we provide all the training necessary to do so. Visit the links below to learn more about our team!
Join the Team
In order to officially join Miner Aviation, you will need your Missouri S&T email and password. This should be the same email and password you use to access all of the official S&T sites and online resources (such as canvas). The SDELC Member Portal will be used to view the trainings you have completed, current team memberships, past team memberships, and much more. Please use the SDELC Member Portal guide by clicking the button below in order to join our team.
Join AIAA
Most Missouri S&T design teams have yearly dues to be apart of their organization. Miner Aviation waives these dues and replaces them with an AIAA Student Membership fee. To compete in the AIAA Design, Build, Fly event, all of our team members must be members of AIAA. The cost for a year membership is $25 which will be paid when signing up for membership at aiaa.org. Once you have paid your membership fee, you will receive an account number which will need to be shared with the Chief Engineer of the team. Please use our guide to assist you in this process.
Learn Your Subgroups
In order to better hone individual skills and stay organized as a team, Miner Aviation is split into subgroups which are lead by a subgroup lead(s). Our subgroups consist of Aerodynamics & Stability/Control, Integration & Manufacturing, Dynamic Systems, Propulsion, Public Relations, and Stress Research & Development. You may join as many of the subgroups as you like. Visit our subgroup page to learn more about each individual group. Attending the first meetings of the season will allow you to understand the responsibilities of each subgroup, as well as join officially. We hope to see you soon!
Meet Our Advisors
Dr. Walter Eversman
Dr. Eversman has been with Miner Aviation since its inception as AAVG in 1999. Starting with his B.S. in Aeronautical Engineering from Purdue University in 1959, Dr. Eversman went on the get his M.S. in Engineering Mechanics and Ph.D. in Aeronautics & Astronautics from Stanford University. As the former department chair of the Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Department here at Missouri S&T (then UMR), Dr. Eversman has a very successful history in academia. As a Professor of either Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or both at prestigious universities around the world such as Wichita State University, University of Canterbury in New Zealand, and Missouri S&T, he has years of experience in training engineers for the aerospace industry. With over 30 publications in various journals, including the Journal of Sound and Vibration and the Journal of Aircraft, Dr. Eversman has made a lasting mark on the world.
Outside of academics, Dr. Walter Eversman has worked for companies such as The Boeing Company (1965 to 1971) and Lockheed Missiles and Space Company (1959-1964). He continues to consult with companies such as NASA, Cessna, Borg-Warner, Nelson Industries, Gates Learjet, and many more. He stays connected to industry through being a privet pilot and a member of the AIAA, ASEE, ASME, and SAE institutions. Finally, to add to all of his hard work and achievements, Dr. Eversman is also a licensed Professional Engineer in the state of Missouri.
We are very fortunate to have Dr. Eversman as an advisor to our team and appreciate all of his knowledge and expertise to help the Miners in Flight.
Dr. Warner Meeks
Dr. Meeks is an Assistant Teaching Professor at Missouri S&T and received his Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering from S&T. Serving as the advisor for both Miner Aviation and The Rocket Design Team, Dr. Meeks has been very involved with the university ever since joining as an undergraduate. Attending S&T for both his undergraduate and graduate careers, Dr. Meeks has the experience of both a student and educator as well as design team experience as a former member of MSAT.
Dr. Meeks teaches various classes including Thermodynamics, heat transfer, fluid mechanics, and plasma physics. He is also in charge of the Aerospace Engineering's sophomore and senior aircraft design projects. His research interests include meta-cognition, innovative engine design, innovative sustainable spacecraft design, and solar physics.
We are very fortunate to have Dr. Meeks as an advisor to our team and appreciate all of his knowledge and expertise to help the Miners in Flight.
Trainings Offered
Through the Student Design and Experiential Learning Center (SDELC), Miner Aviation is able to offer its members many trainings on various industrial machines, processes, and skills. Whether you want to learn more about Solidworks or how to operate a CNC Milling Machine, our team will do everything we can to get you the knowledge and skill sets needed to begin your engineering career. Check out the link below for the trainings currently being offered as well as their descriptions and any necessary prerequisite trainings.