Brett Pierce boarded his plane in the Franklin County airfields to begin aerobatic maneuvers as his students watched attentively.
“I’m ready to finally see what Brett can do,” said Mike Hester, an NC State alumnus and student of Pierce’s.
With 11 years of flying experience under his belt, NC State graduate student and stunt-pilot Brett Pierce is now teaching others his passion as well, among other interests in the aerospace field.
Pierce earned his undergraduate degree in aerospace engineering from NC State in 2012 and is now working on his master’s. His master’s thesis revolves around his favorite aspect of aviation and aerobatics. In his thesis, Pierce is trying to prove the possibility of autonomous aerobatics and works on this project in the Makerspaces on Centennial Campus.
Autonomous aerobatics would allow a plane to complete a specific aerobatic sequence without a human pilot in the cockpit. In relation to his master’s thesis, Pierce is developing an algorithm and a plane that is strong enough to survive aerobatic maneuvers. If successful, Pierce will be the first person in the world to accomplish such a feat.
His own experiences in piloting help to inspire the idea for this aircraft. Through flying, Pierce realized that the human body can only be subject to so many g-forces before it begins to experience negative effects.
“I am an aerobatic pilot, and when I pull ‘g’s’ and don’t flex, I experience the first phases of g-lock and have actually blacked out during maneuvers,” Pierce said.
With an autonomous aircraft, aerobatics would become almost limitless.
While Pierce is developing an unmanned aircraft, he still enjoys old-fashioned piloting. Pierce first learned to pilot powered aircrafts at Triangle North Executive Airport in Franklin County. After Pierce received his license to pilot powered aircrafts, he moved on to learn gliders. In 2008, Pierce began to perform aerobatics and gliders. In 2009, Pierce began to learn advanced aerobatics from aerobatic pilot Johnny White.
Since becoming an aerobatic pilot, Pierce has experienced great success. In the 2009-2010 season, Pierce placed second in the national collegiate division aerobatic competition. He has placed at numerous other competitions including second place at the Blue Ridge Hammerfest.
At the competition, the plane Pierce flew required large control inputs, which, among aviators, is called hammering. Pierce pushed too hard on the controls, and as a result, the right rudder pedal came off and a band broke in the seat back of the plane.
“The judges noticed I was ‘hammering’ the controls a bit hard with the aircraft and after breaking the parts on the plane my new call sign was ‘The Hammer,’” Pierce said.
As a pilot and a Wolfpack fan, one of Pierce’s goals is to grow interest in aviation on campus. As an undergraduate, Pierce served as the president of Sigma Gamma Tau, the national honor society of aerospace engineering at NC State. Pierce has also partnered with the NC Soaring Association to try to get more students involved in flying.
A few years ago, Pierce and a few of his friends flew gliders over Centennial Campus. After the campus flyover, Pierce and the NC Soaring Association flew over 70 introduction glider flights, which allowed students to get a glimpse into aviation. One of Pierce’s future goals is to create a competitive aerobatic team at NC State.
Pierce said he loves to see others share his enthusiasm for flying. On weekends, he works as a glider instructor at the Crooked Creek Airport in Zebulon, North Carolina. Through his instruction, several aspiring pilots have achieved their first solo flights.
“I’m proud to say I’m a pilot-maker,” Pierce said. “It’s an amazing feeling when you help someone grow into an aviator. I love teaching people to fly because so many dreams begin, and end, with the promise of flight.”
Despite all his involvement in teaching and development in aerospace, flying isn’t just a job for Pierce. He said he would never be interested in being a commercial pilot. Pierce said that for him, flying isa complex adventure that brings together engineering, mathematics, science and dozens of other fields.
“There is no feeling like it when you strap on a machine like the Pitts or the Extra and go rocketing off into the sky; it’s freedom, pure and simple,” Pierce said.
NC State graduate student and stunt-pilot Brett Pierce is currently working on autonomous aerobatics. If his project is successful, Pierce would be the first person in the world to prove it is possible.
