---
title: Rotorcraft Center Students Win International Competition—Again
date: 2023-09-07T05:30:00-04:00
author: University of Maryland
canonical_url: "https://today.umd.edu/rotorcraft-center-students-win-international-competition-again"
section: Articles
---
# Rotorcraft Center Students Win International Competition—Again

*September 7, 2023* — by [Robert Herschbach](/author/robert-herschbach)


> Graduate Team Takes Top Prize 23rd Time With Design of Vertical-Takeoff Aircraft

*1st g2 umd arion execsummary sdc20231 1920x1080 — UMD graduate students took first place in an international competition aimed at designing a vertical takeoff and landing vehicle with advanced capabilities.*

After winning 22 of the last 24 outings, it would have been big news if University of Maryland graduate students *hadn’t* been victorious in the Vertical Flight Society’s annual Student Design Competition.

The team from the [Alfred Gessow Rotorcraft Center](https://eit.umd.edu/) perhaps squelched the drama from last month's event by again capturing the top spot in the graduate category with its design for a high-speed vertical takeoff and landing aircraft.

“It was a great learning experience and a team effort in every way,” said team leader Nathan O'Brien, a [Clark Doctoral Fellow](https://eng.umd.edu/clark-doctoral-fellows) in aerospace engineering. “Everyone used their diverse skill sets to add unique innovations to the final design, and we couldn't have done this without support of the department as a whole.”


*UMD Rotorcraft Center team poses by helicopter — Members of the Arion design team, from left: Ray Shimry Garatsa, Xavier Delgado, Noam Kaplan, Nathan O'Brien, Nicholas Paternostro. Not pictured: Brendan Egan.*




**Topics:** [Campus & Community](https://today.umd.edu/tags/campus-community), [Research](https://today.umd.edu/tags/research)


**Tags:** [Academic Competitions](https://today.umd.edu/topic/academic-competitions), [Aerospace Engineering](https://today.umd.edu/topic/aerospace-engineering), [Research](https://today.umd.edu/topic/research), [Student Experience](https://today.umd.edu/topic/student-experience)


**Units:** [A. James Clark School of Engineering](https://today.umd.edu/topic/james-clark-school-engineering)