Meanwhile, in Wichita, KS:

The following is an email from our senior design group leader:

"This morning started off with a very beautiful day. The sun was shining and there was little to no wind. Initially we watched several teams make their first flights and enjoyed our time because there are a maximum of 5 flight attempts and we weren’t in a huge rush to take them.

Flight attempt number one:
Once we made it to the runway, we turned on the motor and the plane moved backward. This was the result of wires from the motor to the battery being switched after the final test flight. The fix took approximately 30 minutes to complete as well as a few other very minor problems that we encountered.

Flight attempt number two:
With the 20x15 propeller attached we attempted the delivery mission. The plane did not make the takeoff distance, and Steve was unable to maintain control of the airplane during the rollout and we sheared off the landing gear and broke a few formers forward of the battery pack. The propeller was also broken in the process. Repairs took approximately 45 minutes.

Flight attempt number three:
With the 24x12 propeller attached, we again attempted the delivery mission. We got off the ground in the allotted space, but Steve was expecting to be holding down elevator and pushed the plane back down onto the runway after the 75 ft mark. This invalidated that takeoff, but he landed the plane successfully and brought it around for a second takeoff. This time takeoff went very smoothly and Steve was able to complete two laps of the course. However there was a crosswind and the plane stalled as he brought it in for landing. The firewall broke off, the horizontal tail broke, the elevator and rudder came loose and there was other miscellaneous damage to the plane. We are about to begin repairs and we should be making our 4th attempt early in the morning."

AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!! Yeah, go plane!