FROM THE INSTITUTE
A team of students from the XDLab Group at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University has won the third annual Capture the Satellite competition, a game that teaches how to control a spacecraft to avoid obstacles and safely rendezvous with another spacecraft that needs service, on 15 January at AIAA SciTech Forum 2026.
Tag: Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
AIAA Announces 2024 Design/Build/Fly (DBF) Competition Winners
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 22, 2024 – Wichita, Kan. – The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) announced the winners of the 28th Annual AIAA DBF Competition:
- 1st Place ($3,000): Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Daytona Beach, Florida
- 2nd Place ($2,000): Georgia Institute of Technology
- 3rd Place ($1,500): University of Washington, Seattle
- Best Design Report ($100): University of Southern California
This year marks the largest-ever flyoff participation, with more than 1,000 students on 93 university teams attending onsite. The flyoff was hosted by AIAA Corporate Member Textron Aviation in Wichita, Kan. Teams from 12 countries, including 32 US states participated in the full DBF Competition, including submitting design reports and attending the flyoff.
This year’s flight objective was to design, build, and test a remotely operated radio control airplane for Urban Air Mobility. The airplane must be able to conduct a delivery flight, a medical transport flight, and an urban taxi flight. Teams also conducted a ground mission demonstrating how quickly they can change their aircraft configuration from delivery to medical transport to urban air taxi.
“Design/Build/Fly is a highlight of the year,” said AIAA CEO Dan Dumbacher. “Aerospace teaches us to adapt to the unexpected. It’s a great lesson for students as they prepare to enter this vibrant and meaningful field. The lessons learned and connections made here will be the foundation for their future careers. Congratulations to the winning teams and all the teams that made it here to the DBF flyoff!”
Russ Althof, director of the DBF Organizing Committee, said, “We owe our thanks for the success of the DBF Competition to the efforts of many volunteers from Textron Aviation, Raytheon, and the AIAA sponsoring Technical Committees: Applied Aerodynamics, Aircraft Design, Flight Test, and Design Engineering. These volunteers collectively set the rules for the contest, publicize the event, gather entries, judge the written proposals and reports, and execute the flyoff.
The 2025 AIAA DBF Competition will be held in April 2025 hosted in Tucson, Ariz., by Raytheon.
Media contact: Rebecca B. Gray, [email protected], 804-397-5270
About AIAA
The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) is the world’s largest aerospace technical society. With nearly 30,000 individual members from 91 countries, and 100 corporate members, AIAA brings together industry, academia, and government to advance engineering and science in aviation, space, and defense. For more information, visit aiaa.org, or follow AIAA on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, or Instagram.
AIAA Announces 2023 Design/Build/Fly (DBF) Competition Winners
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 16, 2023 – Reston, Va. – The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) today announced the winners of the 27th Annual AIAA Design/Build/Fly (DBF) Competition:
- First Place ($3,000): RWTH Aachen University, Germany
- Second Place ($2,000): University of Ljubljana, Slovenia
- Third Place ($1,500): Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Daytona Beach, Florida
- Best Report Score ($100): University of Washington, Seattle
The complete 2023 DBF Competition results are posted online.
This year marks the largest ever DBF Competition flyoff participation, with 868 university students on 81 teams attending onsite. The flyoff event was hosted by AIAA Corporate Member Raytheon in Tucson, Ariz. Teams from 14 countries, including 27 US states and the District of Columbia participated in the full DBF Competition, including submitting design reports and attending the flyoff.
This year’s flight objective was to design, build, and test an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to conduct surveillance and jamming missions for electronic warfare. More details about the mission requirements are available on the DBF website: aiaa.org/dbf.
“Design/Build/Fly is a highlight of the year,” said Dan Dumbacher, AIAA executive director. “Aerospace trains us to adapt to the unexpected. It’s a great lesson for students as they prepare to enter this vibrant and meaningful field. Congratulations to the winning teams and all the teams that made it here to the DBF flyoff! The lessons learned and connections made here will be the basis for their future careers.”
Russ Althof, director of the DBF Organizing Committee, said, “We owe our thanks for the success of the DBF competition to the efforts of many volunteers from Raytheon Technologies, Textron Aviation, and the AIAA sponsoring technical committees: Applied Aerodynamics, Aircraft Design, Flight Test, and Design Engineering. These volunteers collectively set the rules for the contest, publicize the event, gather entries, judge the written reports, and judge the flyoff in Tucson.”
The 2024 AIAA DBF Competition will be held in April 2024 and hosted in Wichita, Kan., by Textron.
Media Contact: Rebecca B. Gray, [email protected], 804-397-5270 cell
About AIAA
The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) is the world’s largest aerospace technical society. With nearly 30,000 individual members from 91 countries, and 100 corporate members, AIAA brings together industry, academia, and government to advance engineering and science in aviation, space, and defense. For more information, visit aiaa.org, or follow AIAA on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram.
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Students Place Second at 2022 Design/Build/Fly Competition
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (FL) reports that a team “of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University students recently made school history by placing second in this year’s Design/Build/Fly aircraft competition hosted by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA).” The team’s aircraft “is named MULLET, which stands for Medical Unmanned Low-Level Electric Transport.”
Full Story (Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University)
More Info (AIAA)
AIAA Announces Two New Chartered Student Branches
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Worldwide, University of Georgia Join AIAA Community
February 22, 2021 – Reston, Va. –The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) is excited to announce the addition of two new AIAA student branches at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Worldwide (ERAU-Worldwide) and the University of Georgia (UGA). These universities join more than 240 AIAA student branches around the world.
Both universities are distinctive additions to AIAA’s student branch community. ERAU-Worldwide is a fully online program and ranked No. 1 by U.S. News & World Report for its online bachelor’s degree programs. The AIAA ERAU-Worldwide Student Branch is under the College of Aeronautics, whose programs emphasize interaction with aerospace professionals and organizations.
UGA’s College of Engineering offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in mechanical, computer systems, and electrical engineering programs. Its AIAA student branch will fit in UGA’s Student Aerospace Initiative, which engages the student body in real-world multidisciplinary aerospace projects.
“Membership in an AIAA student branch is a valuable foundation for a budding engineer’s journey from classroom to career,” said Dan Dumbacher, AIAA Executive Director. “AIAA student branch members meet and collaborate with fellow students who share their passion and commitment to aerospace. Student branch membership is an important part of how AIAA supports young people today who will shape the future of aerospace tomorrow.”
AIAA currently has more than 240 student branches, including 40+ international student branches, with a total active membership of over 7,500 students worldwide. AIAA student branches are accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) or an equivalent regional accrediting body. Find a complete listing of AIAA student branches in our online directory. For those interested in forming an AIAA student branch, use these resources to begin the process.
About AIAA
The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) is the world’s largest aerospace technical society. With nearly 30,000 individual members from 91 countries, and 100 corporate members, AIAA brings together industry, academia, and government to advance engineering and science in aviation, space, and defense. For more information, visit aiaa.org, or follow AIAA on Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn.
AIAA Media Contact: Rebecca B. Gray, [email protected], 804-397-5270.