Our Crowdfunding Groups
We are the Design-Build-Fly Team (DBF) of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Student Branch at UNC Charlotte (AIAA). We are raising funds to compete in the international DBF competition sponsored by the AIAA Foundation, Textron Aviation, and Raytheon. Each year, the DBF team is tasked with designing, building, and testing a radio-controlled aircraft to execute specific missions.
This year’s mission is to execute an X-1 Supersonic Flight Test Program. To successfully complete all missions, this year’s aircraft must be able to carry payloads consisting of external fuel tanks and the X-1 test vehicle. The X-1 test vehicle shall be an autonomous glider that can be launched from the main aircraft during flight. Bonus mission points can be achieved if the X-1 test vehicle transitions to stable flight after launch, executes a 180° turn, flies a descending pattern, and comes to rest in the designated landing zones.
More than 145 universities from around the world compete in this competition annually. To be competitive in the competition, the development of advanced designs and control systems are necessary. The cost of this project includes research, design, construction, and travel. This year’s competition will be hosted by Raytheon at the Tucson International Modelplex Park Association in Tucson, Arizona.
The DBF competition consists of three phases. During the first phases, teams from around the world create conceptual design to meet each year’s specific mission requirements. The designs are documented in a proposal and submitted to the competition committee by October 31, 2024. The top proposals are accepted, and those teams are invited to fully design, manufacture, and test their aircraft.
2025 Detailed Design (Main Aircraft)
2025 Detailed Design (X-1 Autonomous Glider)
The second phase consists of the development of a fully designed aircraft, manufacturing, and flight testing. The entire design process, manufacturing, and test results are then documented in the design report. The Design Report is completed and sent to the committee by February 21, 2025. Once the report is submitted, no changes are allowed to the aircraft.
The final phase of the project is to travel to Tucson, Arizona and compete against other teams in a fly-off. The competition fly-off is a 4-day event scheduled for April 10 to April 13.
In order for the DBF team to be successful, we need your help! Our $10,000 fundraising goal will allow us to purchase the necessary parts and materials for the aircraft and travel to the competition in Arizona in 2025. We estimate the electronic components used for propulsion and control to cost $1,500, the structural materials for manufacturing to cost $1,200, the mission specific payload to cost $270, and travel to and from the competition in Tucson, Arizona and lodging throughout the 4-day competition and 2 travel days to cost $7,455. The travel budget is estimated for 5 people.
*Note: Spending is subject to change.
You can double or triple the impact of your gift if your employer participates in a matching gift program. To see if your employer has a matching gift program, click here. If your company matches, complete your matching gift form and submit it to UNC Charlotte via mail (UNC Charlotte Foundation, 9201 University City Boulevard, Charlotte, NC 28223), fax (704-687-7259) or email (mwinslow@uncc.edu).
