2020 AIAA DESIGN, BUILD, FLY COMPETITION DESIGN REPORT

Abstract

The Design, Build, Fly University of Arizona 2020 design team developed a remote-controlled aircraft for the international 2020 American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Design/Build/Fly competition on April 16-19 in Wichita, Kansas. The design emphasized speed, cargo carrying capacity, as well as deployment and detachment of a banner. The team constructed a 58-inch wingspan, low-wing, T-tail aircraft with twin engines. The design features an integrated passenger bay inside the fuselage with oversized control surfaces for improved maneuverability when carrying many passengers. A banner deployment and detachment mechanism allows for a banner to deploy mid-flight and detach from the aircraft before landing. The twin-engine configuration provides sufficient stability and properly orients the banner in flight. Large propellers provide both ample thrust for multiple mission types and turbulent flow over the wings for prolonged lift generation. Preliminary prototyping and flight testing verified the design as stable and flightworthy. Final testing evaluated and optimized propulsion, structures, and payload systems and enhanced mission scoring potential.