Our entry in AIAA's Textron Aviation/Raytheon Design, Build, Fly competition — a year-long project to design, build, and fly a real radio-controlled aircraft against a mission that's brand new every season.
The 2026–27 challenge asks teams to design, build, and test an uncrewed aircraft that can carry, deploy, and recover a towed sensor mid-flight.
Across the season, the aircraft has to deliver itself, transport a sensor packed in a shipping container, and then actually fly with a sensor trailing behind it on a line — lighting it up in different modes on command before reeling it back in and landing safely. It's a good example of what DBF asks every year: take a fairly unusual mission profile and turn it into a flyable, judged aircraft in a few months.
Teams fly three timed missions plus a ground mission, each building on the last.
A clean baseline flight — three laps, no payload, within a 5-minute window.
Same course, but now carrying the sensor in its shipping container (plus optional weighted simulators) — scored on how much weight it carries per second of flight time.
The aircraft deploys the towed sensor mid-flight, cycles its lights through three modes on command each lap, then stows it again before landing — scored on laps flown and sensor weight.
A separate test of the shipping container itself: it has to survive a series of drop tests onto concrete without damaging the sensor inside.
Cash prizes go to the top three teams overall ($3,000 / $2,000 / $1,500), plus a $100 prize for the single best design report. Winning teams may also be invited to present at AIAA's AVIATION Forum.
Aerodynamics, structures, propulsion, electronics, manufacturing, project management — every role is open.