With APOGEE around the corner, APOGEE English Press sat down with Harshil Jeswani, the coordinator of Radio Control (RC) Club, to learn more about their work for the fest. He explained that the club works on building drones and planes from scratch. 

For APOGEE, the club is organising SkyHigh, a kernel event spanning two days. The first day will be a plane-building workshop where participants will be provided with a kit to assemble a plane. They will also receive training in a flight simulator to learn how to fly the aircraft. On the second day, a flying competition will take place where the participants will fly the plane they built and be judged on various criteria like flight time, control, and manoeuvrability. Harshil said that solo participation is allowed, but forming a team is preferred. He added that they were in discussions with CoStAA about the prize money and participation fee amount. 

When asked about the club’s preparations for the event, Harshil explained that the club had prepared the entire plane-building kit in-house. The main challenge had been to design a kit that could be assembled quickly, be beginner-friendly and remain engaging. He said the team was in the final stages of the design process and would begin manufacturing the kits soon. On being asked about any setbacks he faced, he spoke of how the college’s remote location had contributed to delays in shipping the required materials. 

Speaking of his experience as the coordinator, Harshil mentioned that technical teams had ‘lost their pace’ after the pandemic due to a lack of knowledge transfer from previous batches, as a result of little offline interaction. He added that it had been a fun experience leading and building the team from the ground up and hoped the club would continue on the same path after him.

On a final note, he advised BITSians not to go home during APOGEE, enjoy the fest, and make some lasting memories.