Design Build Fly Mock Competition

For this project, each team was to design and build a plane for an intraclub mock competition. Each group was assigned a unique group of design criteria for their plane, ours being:

  • Low wing

  • Pusher

  • Tail dragger

  • Y-tail

  • KFm1 airfoil

The team’s plane who could carry the heaviest payload for one lap around a predetermined track would be the winner.

A complete set of competition rules can be found here.

Through this project, I accomplished the following:

  • Developed a detailed CAD model for the fuselage, booms and tail of our design

  • Used MATLAB to optimize weight distribution, maximize payload weight, and ensure an ideal CG location for our airfoil (quarter-chord)

  • Designed a solution to secure our payload to our fuselage in 6 axes

  • Manufactured our plane to tight tolerances using measurement/alignment tools and cutting equipment

  • Presented our concept justification to the club through two Design Reviews

Despite the drawbacks of our unfavorable assigned configuration, our plane was able to complete the desired maneuvers, successfully completing a lap around the track with an attached payload of roughly 0.5lbs.

This project presented many key takeaways for me. I was able to expand my knowledge of aircraft design, strengthen my design skills, coding skills, and teamwork skills. I had a great time with my team and enjoyed every moment.