Landmark students hover towards success

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This article was published 03/03/2015 (3779 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

This invention won’t prevent Canada Post from phasing out home delivery for tens of thousands of people in a couple years’ time, but it would make getting your mail more entertaining.

A group of six Landmark Collegiate students have built a hovercraft whose responsibility, if it were to make it on store shelves one day, is to deliver mail via a remote control.

It’s not necessarily convenient, because the letter still needs to be delivered by mail, but this would be a way to drive a small vehicle from the mailbox, once someone has put the mail into the hovercraft’s satchel, to the recipient’s hands. The target audience would be older individuals, particularly at a seniors home.

“It’s a little more exciting way to get your mail,” said teacher Barry Dyck. “The snail mail, so it’s some nostalgia.”

For the eighth year, high school students in Landmark have built an air-cushion craft that is supposed to hover above land or water, using pre-supplied objects including a controller, two fans and a battery pack.

There’s more to the hovercraft competition than simply building the device, though.

The vehicle must have a purpose, such as mail delivery, and a business plan and multimedia presentation must be proposed as well.

“The actual functioning hovercraft is not even half of the entire presentation; it’s not the marks,” said Josh Maendel. “If you have an OK functioning hovercraft and a beautiful business support, you’ll still make it.”

The school’s latest group had their first go-around in January at the provincial Discovery Program competition hosted by the Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters. The class’ marketing plan needed work, and the hovercraft nosedived into the water rather than staying afloat, but their outing was good enough to secure a top 10 finish.

The result will drive the Landmark team to the finals on Mar. 24.

Until then, there are revisions to be made to ensure they have a better shot, as Landmark is often able to accomplish. The school has finished in third place three separate times and is the only entry to participate in all eight years of the competition.

The hovercraft team has become an extracurricular, after-school activity for the students, who this year was hand-picked.

There are the prospective engineers, of course, but also students producing the business plan who enjoy writing and others who appreciate computer design.

The students come together from different backgrounds, interests and skill sets to put their best foot forward.

“The late night potlucks would be one of my favourite parts,” replied Olivia Hildebrand to laughs from her teammates. “I wouldn’t have a reason to talk to the younger grades, except just seeing them in the hallways, but now I get to see them every day.”

The program gives students an opportunity to understand the whole spectrum of manufacturing, said Dyck, who added the group has been meeting weekly since last October.

“It’s the design piece, the creating of the piece and then it’s coming up with a marketing plan and the financials for that,” he said.

He adds the group is looking forward to producing a video meant to show off the amusement their invention is meant to promote.

“We’re not trying to create efficiency, we’re not trying to do any of that, so what extra zing are we bringing?” he said. “We’re bringing mail to elder people, so whether it’s fun for the staff or fun for the person, that will be part of the thing we will play up in the marketing video. It’s all meant to be fun.”

This story was originally published in the Feb. 26 issue of The Carillon.