Details of the Design Competition

 

SAED will be representing the U of C, the SSE, and all our partners at the annual SAE Aero Design Competition.  The upcoming West competition will be held on April 5-7, 2019 in Van Nuys, CA, USA.

 

The purpose of the competition is to successfully design, build, and fly an RC airplane. There are many restrictions set by SAE to increase the difficulty of this challenge. Restrictions include material usage, maximum dimensions, and maximum power.

 

The competition is split into three parts to test capability of the plane along with the communication skills of the competitors.  These three components are:

 

 

Flight Competition

The final design must be able lift as much weight as possible all the while staying within dimensional and airplane power requirements. Teams who lift the most weight and accurately predict the payload weight beforehand will score the most points.

 

 

Technical Report

The design report will act as a logbook outlining the team’s thought processes and the engineering philosophy used to reach their conclusions. Teams will be required to present detailed calculations, procedures, and the methods applied that brought them to their final design.

 

 

Oral Presentation

Teams are required to give a presentation highlighting the various advantages of their design. The presentation will be judged based upon content and delivery, and should include an overview of the material included in the design report. An information sheet that promotes the aircraft’s features, capabilities, and unique design attributes will accompany the presentation.

 

For more info, visit the SAE website.