Jacob John

Plane crash proves instructive for aero engineering team

Nothing taught Jacob John more about practising the profession of engineering than watching a plane crash.

The fourth-year mechanical engineering major is part of the UWindsor SAE Aero team, which competes in the Society of Automotive Engineers’ student aeronautic design contest. John and his teammates watched as their model plane fell out of the sky in the second phase of the competition.

“The vibrations shook loose a servo arm screw and we lost elevator control,” says John. “After that, we were helpless.”