Utah State University’s Design/Build/Fly team returned from the April competition in Wichita, Kansas, placing in the top 20% of all teams.
USU scored 22 of 107 points, one of the team’s highest points in recent years. The involvement goes back many years, in 1999 and 2000 he won the DBF student category. In 2003, DBF entered the competition with a full-size model of the Light Wing Flyer. The aircraft is currently on display at the Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park in Ohio.
This year’s objective was to design, build and fly an airplane to demonstrate urban air mobility missions such as medical transport and urban air taxis.
The DBF Competition was started in 1996 by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics as an opportunity for undergraduate students to apply real-world aircraft design experience and validate their analytical research. This year marks our 28th anniversary.
Student teams design, build, and demonstrate the flight capabilities of an unmanned electric radio-controlled airplane that meets a specified mission profile. The goal is to create a balanced design with excellent flight handling qualities, practical and affordable manufacturing requirements, and high vehicle performance.
“Design requirements and performance goals are updated annually to foster innovation and keep designs fresh,” said Joel Ellsworth, DBF Student Division faculty advisor. “This change provides new design requirements and opportunities, while enabling the application of technology developed by the team over the past several years.”