University of Kentucky
AIAA Student Design/Build/Fly (DBF) Competition
Institution
University of Kentucky
Faculty Advisor/ Mentor
Suzanne Smith; Raymond Lebeau; Keith Bezanson; Sarah Dennis; Dan Roettgen; Alex Thompson
Abstract
The Student Design/Build/Fly (DBF) Competition is a competition in which students from AIAA chapters at universities all over the world are invited to design and compete with an unmanned aircraft. The competition requires students to design, manufacture, and demonstrate the aircraft flight performance that meets the specifications of the requirements. Our group has taken a special interest in aviation, several of us having worked within the field. This will be the first time the University of Kentucky participates in this competition with the hope that it becomes a yearly competitor to offer all students pursuing the aerospace certificate a senior design option. The DBF committee creates a new set of rules for the competition each year. This year's requirements call for an unmanned aircraft specifying allowable aircraft types, weight limitations, propulsion specifications, flight requirements, as well as safety stops. The competition in Tucson, AZ involves a timed aircraft assembly (pre-mission) as well as three different missions. The first is 2 laps on a designated track (approximately 2500 ft), with an empty payload. The second is 4 laps with a specified liquid payload. The third is a series of 4 laps where the aircraft is required to land and drop its ballast rocket payload individually and then return to flight between each lap. The goal of this project is to successfully qualify and competitively finish in the AIAA Design, Build, Fly competition, in hopes that this will lay the foundations for future years.
AIAA Student Design/Build/Fly (DBF) Competition
The Student Design/Build/Fly (DBF) Competition is a competition in which students from AIAA chapters at universities all over the world are invited to design and compete with an unmanned aircraft. The competition requires students to design, manufacture, and demonstrate the aircraft flight performance that meets the specifications of the requirements. Our group has taken a special interest in aviation, several of us having worked within the field. This will be the first time the University of Kentucky participates in this competition with the hope that it becomes a yearly competitor to offer all students pursuing the aerospace certificate a senior design option. The DBF committee creates a new set of rules for the competition each year. This year's requirements call for an unmanned aircraft specifying allowable aircraft types, weight limitations, propulsion specifications, flight requirements, as well as safety stops. The competition in Tucson, AZ involves a timed aircraft assembly (pre-mission) as well as three different missions. The first is 2 laps on a designated track (approximately 2500 ft), with an empty payload. The second is 4 laps with a specified liquid payload. The third is a series of 4 laps where the aircraft is required to land and drop its ballast rocket payload individually and then return to flight between each lap. The goal of this project is to successfully qualify and competitively finish in the AIAA Design, Build, Fly competition, in hopes that this will lay the foundations for future years.