USU Design/Build/Fly Team Wins Big at Kansas Conference
The Utah State University Design/Build/Fly team returned from their April competition in Wichita, Kansas in the top 20 percent of all teams.
The USU Design/Build/Fly team, pictured above, took 22 out of 107 teams, one of their highest scores in recent years.
USU took 22 out of 107, one of their highest scores in recent years. Involvement goes back years, as the DBF student section took first place in 1999 and 2000.
This year, the 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 began in 1996 by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics as a chance for university students to apply real-world aircraft design experience and to allow them to validate their analytic studies. This year marks its 28th anniversary.
The objective was to design, build and fly an airplane to demonstrate Urban Air Mobility missions, such as medical transport and urban air taxis.
Student teams design, fabricate, and demonstrate the flight capabilities of an unmanned, electric powered, radio-controlled aircraft to meet the specified mission profile. The goal is to create a balanced design with good flight handling qualities, practical and affordable manufacturing requirements and a high vehicle performance.
“To encourage innovation and maintain a fresh design, the design requirements and performance objectives are updated each year,” said Joel Ellsworth, faculty advisor for the DBF student section. “The changes provide new design requirements and opportunities while allowing for application of technology developed by the teams from prior years.”
Writer: Sydney Dahle, sydney.dahle@usu.edu, 435-797-7512
Contact: Joel Ellsworth, joel.ellsworth@usu.edu, 435-797-0250