With the help of a pilot directing them through a track, miniature RC planes complete an assortment of missions, including carrying objects from figurines to cargo, in the annual AIAA Design/Build/Fly Competition, where students’ countless hours of work pay off.
The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Design/Build/Fly Competition is an RC aircraft event for AIAA program students. The Air Devils organization, which meets in the Urban Systems Engineering Building on the Tempe campus, works tirelessly on Wednesdays and Saturdays to create fully realized remote-controlled aircraft for the competition, fostering a community based on a love of aeronautics.
The AIAA event is set for April in Wichita, KS, according to members of the organization. In 2023, the AIAA Design/Build/Fly Competition had 99 collegiate and 21 international teams participate.
"As an aerospace student, I love aircraft," said Lucas Van Noord, a freshman studying aeronautics and vice president of Air Devils. "I'd be doing what I'm doing here in the club regardless of whether it was a club or not, so to be able to have the community that you find in Air Devils and meet other people with similar interests is rewarding."
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The AIAA is a global technical society dedicated to aerospace that began in 1963, according to its website. The AIAA is a publisher, voice of public policy and host of conferences and events in the aerospace field. It offers students scholarships, programs and competitions, such as the Design/Build/Fly Competition.
Van Noord said that in addition to the meetings at Air Devils, the organization also has general body meetings where it meets with speakers from aerospace companies such as Lockheed Martin to learn more about the industry.
Air Devils experienced a change in leadership this year after most of the seniors in the organization graduated. The new team then had to rework its skills and build on the foundation left by the former club members.
"We're trying to build up the skill so that the team has that level of capability," said Lucas Guaglardi, a junior studying aeronautics and the president of Air Devils. "That's the way for students to learn because then they get to focus on their little piece and learn a lot about it.
"That's the way to build up skill."
The club creates community through its passion for aircraft and long hours of fine-tuning and construction.
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Luc Andreassi, a sophomore studying aeronautics, said there is usually a group of 20 people who take up the student body of Air Devils currently, with ten times as much on their email list.
"It's a great experience," Andreassisaid. "It's just like having a big group of friends. Some of them know a lot more than you."
The organization also allows undergraduate students to participate in opportunities not usually provided in coursework for all aircraft programs.
"In terms of the actual material of the club, you learn a lot about more particular aerodynamics things, (which) as a freshman or sophomore, you're not introduced to yet," Andreassi said.
Van Noord said the Introduction to Engineering course at the University, FSE 100, and the senior capstone course are the only coursework-related opportunities for hands-on experience.
"You need to look for these extracurricular opportunities to be able to apply the stuff you're learning," Van Noord said.
Concerning this year's model of the plane, Guaglardi said Air Devils currently has most of the airframe built. He estimates the team will finish construction within a few weeks — nearly a month before the competition starts.
Many collegiate teams invent a theme and name for their final aircraft before sending progress updates and posters to the AIAA Instagram, where competitors can scope out the competition.
Andreassi said he finds the work reminiscent of similar projects he worked on in high school, which led him to a career through his passion for building aeronautical devices.
"Here at ASU, it's basically a next-level thing because there's a lot more research and design involved in making these planes," Andreassi said. "It's not just throwing a few components together to see if it works."
This year's aircraft is set to have payload components, flying for three laps with a medical supply payload and then separately carrying as many wooden doll passengers as possible.
Along with the competition being a way to show a team's abilities in creating an aircraft, it also serves as a way for companies to look for prospective employees.
"This is certainly really valuable when looking for internships, and there are often a lot of companies that are at the competition looking to see what teams do well," Van Noord said. "The competition is sponsored by some of the large companies, so it's a really good way to just get that foot in the door."
Guilardi said companies like Raytheon and Textron Aviation are present at these events, boosting students' chances to land an opportunity in aviation.
Air Devils meet in the Urban Systems Engineering building on Wednesdays from 7:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. and Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Edited by Grey Gartin, Walker Smith and Caera Learmonth.
Reach the reporter at gheadle@asu.edu and @George_Headley7 on X.
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