2024 AIAA DBF Competition Results: UMASS Aeronautics Placed 1st in New England, and 15th Internationally!
The 2024 AIAA DBF Competition’s objectives are to design, build, and test an airplane to demonstrate Urban Air Mobility (UAM) missions. Flight missions include delivery of the airplane, medical transport, and urban taxi. The airplane must fit within a 2.5ft parking spot in the parking configuration, and be reconfigured into flight configuration in less than 5 minutes. Maximum wingspan of the airplane is 5ft. There are three flight missions, one ground mission, and a design report that all compile to calculate a final score.
Ground Mission: The Ground Mission is a timed mission to demonstrate efficiently changing mission configurations. The teams will enter the ground mission with the airplane in the parking configuration and no payloads or components installed. The assembly crew member will remove the airplane from the parking spot, put the airplane in the flight configuration, load and secure for flight the Crew, EMTs, Patient on gurney, and Medical Supply Cabinet, and secure all hatches and doors then say “STOP.” The assembly crew member will then remove the EMTs, Patient on gurney and Medical Supply Cabinet from the airplane (Crew may remain in place), change the floor insert (if used), load and secure for flight the Passengers, secure all hatches and doors then say “STOP.” The assembly crew member will then remove the Crew and Passengers, put the airplane into the parking
configuration and place it in the parking spot and says “STOP” to stop the clock and record the total mission time.
Mission 1: Mission 1 is a delivery flight with no payload. The aircraft enters the staging box in the parking configuration and must be reconfigured for flight in 5 minutes. The teams will then have 5 minutes to complete 3 laps with a takeoff field length of 20 feet.
Mission 2: Mission 2 is a medical transport flight and requires the aircraft to carry the Crew, EMTs, Patient on gurney, and Medical Supply Cabinet. After being reconfigured for flight in the 5 minute window, the aircraft must takeoff within 20 feet and complete 3 laps. The score is calculated using the weight of the medical supply cabinet divided by the time at which the aircraft completes 3 laps.
Mission 3: Mission 3 is an urban taxi flight and involves flying the Crew and Passengers. After being reconfigured for flight in the 5 minute window, the aircraft must takeoff within 20 feet and complete as many laps as possible in a 5 minute window. The score is calculated using the number of laps, multiplied by the number of passengers carried, divided by the battery capacity.
Check out our 2024 AIAA DBF design report here:
View 2023 AIAA DBF score results here:
https://www.aiaa.org/dbf/competition-information/2024-competition-scoring
2023 AIAA DBF Competition Results: UMASS Aeronautics Placed 1st Without an Aeronautical Engineering Program, 2nd in New England, and 24th Internationally!
The 2023 AIAA DBF Competition’s objectives are to design, build, and test an aircraft for electronic warfare missions, which include staging, surveillance, and jamming. The aircraft, including the payloads (electronic package and jamming antenna) as well as a second set of wings, must fit inside an airline check baggage compliant shipping box (Height + Width + Length = 62 inches) and be able to be assembled for flight in less than 5 minutes. There are three flight missions, one ground mission, and a design report that all compile to calculate a final score.
Ground Mission: The Ground Mission is a test of aircraft structural margin. Teams assemble the aircraft in under 10 minutes with all components and payloads inside the shipping box. A coin flip determines which wing components will be used. The assembly crew member and pilot participate in the mission, with only the assembly crew member touching the aircraft and payloads. The heaviest payload configuration is installed, and test weights are applied to the center of the fuselage until max weight is reached or time expires. Flight controls are verified before and after the test, and the mission score is calculated based on total test weight/max aircraft weight.
Mission 1: Mission 1 is a speed and agility challenge with no payload. The aircraft must be inside the shipping box upon entering the staging box. The team flips a coin twice to determine which wing set components to use and have 5 minutes to fully assembly the aircraft for flight. The teams will then have 5 minutes to complete 3 laps with a takeoff field length of 60 feet.
Mission 2: Mission 2 requires the aircraft to carry the Electronics Package as its payload. The aircraft and the payload must be in a closed shipping box when entering the staging box. A coin flip decides which wing components will be used and team will have 5 minutes to assembly the aircraft for flight. The aircraft must complete as many laps as possible within a 10-minute window, with the score calculated as the Electronics Package weight multiplied by the number of laps.
Mission 3: Mission 3 involves flying with the Jamming Antenna payload, mounted on the side opposite of the flight safety line. The aircraft and the antenna must be in a closed shipping box when entering the staging box. A coin flip decides which wing components will be used and team will have 5 minutes to assembly the aircraft for flight. The antenna’s length is recorded, and teams have a 5-minute window to complete three timed laps. The score is calculated based on the Jamming Antenna length and mission time.
Check out our 2023 AIAA DBF design report here:
View 2023 AIAA DBF score results here:
https://www.aiaa.org/dbf/competition-information/2023-competition-scoring