AIAA Design-Build-Fly Wing Structural Lead
Built a complete XPS/carbon-fiber Prototype 1 wing 42.7% lighter than the previous year’s complete balsa/film wing; reduced build time from three months to one. Led the wing design, fabrication, and nine members’ CAD/manufacturing training.
Fully assembled Prototype 1 aircraft
Contribution & Results
I owned the Prototype 1 wing’s structure and CAD, then developed a proposed split-wing Prototype 2 using lessons from the build. Prototype 2 was not manufactured.
Prototype 1
Trade studies on structure, material, and manufacturing led to an XPS foam wing that informed the Prototype 2 concept. I hot-wire cut the foam sections and assembled them with a carbon-fiber main spar, smaller spars to resist torsion, a 3D-printed center section, and printed aileron servo boxes.
The final review defined a nominal 60 in assembled span: two 28.5 in foam panels joined by a 3 in printed center section. Its spar layout used a 10 mm OD main spar and 5 mm OD × 6 in smaller spars. These dimensions describe the Prototype 1 review geometry; the Prototype 2 joint and planform remain a separate proposed design.
- Complete-wing comparison: Prototype 1 was 42.7% lighter than the prior balsa/film wing, including spars, center section, servos, and hardware in both assemblies.
- Build time: Reduced elapsed wing build time from three months to one through material and manufacturing trades.
- Assembly & Serviceability: Designed a printed PLA center section with 4-40 spar-retention screws and access holes to check carbon-fiber spar alignment and epoxy placement. Taped-over wiring channels retained the airfoil surface while routing servo leads to the fuselage.
- Control Integration: Integrated printed PLA servo boxes and control rods, laser-cut control horns, and tape-hinged XPS ailerons. The review documented separate servo-lid and spar-attachment holes so actuation hardware could be located and secured during assembly.
- Technical Communication: Presented multiple design reviews covering the new wings, supporting trade studies, and manufacturing processes.
Final design review details
Prototype 1 fabrication
Proposed Prototype 2 split-wing design one-pager
Prototype 2 & Leadership
For the proposed second prototype, I designed a split-wing NACA 2412 configuration in Fusion 360 using aerodynamic-subteam specifications alongside manufacturing and accessibility lessons from Prototype 1. The November one-pager specifies 10 mm OD carbon-fiber spars joined by 0.5 in OD 6061-T6 aluminum tubes bent to the 5° dihedral, with M3 retention holes. Printed ABS interfaces and servo boxes, partial balsa ribs, and a fuselage-matching root cutout address assembly and surface support. The elevator and half-wing aileron annotations are options under consideration, not demonstrated features.
- Planform: 0.52 taper ratio
- Dihedral: 5°
- Servo Flap System: Designed the servo flap system as part of the wing-lead work.
- Technical Mentorship: Mentored nine members in laser cutting, waterjet operation, and Fusion 360.
- Leadership: Mentored the upcoming wing lead in manufacturing logistics and design-for-manufacture principles.
Earlier Aircraft: 2024–2025 Competition Build
Before the two wing iterations described above, I contributed to fabrication of the 8.2 lb competition aircraft: a fiberglass composite fuselage, balsa airframe, and Clark-Y wing. My work focused on composite layup, manufacturing, and detailed CAD of the wing’s internal structure.
For this earlier aircraft, I also authored mission analysis and aircraft-design justifications for the national competition report.
Fiberglass Composite Fuselage: Layup Process
2024–2025 Aircraft: Completed Composite Layup
Wing Design Basis & Results
The one-pagers and final design review document geometry and manufacturing decisions. They do not provide a wing-load test, bending-stress result, or flight-performance comparison.
Prototype 1: review geometry and assembly
| Airfoil | NACA 2412 in the initial one-pager |
|---|---|
| Review wing layout | Two 28.5 in main-wing sections and a 3 in printed center section |
| Nominal assembled span | 2 × 28.5 + 3 = 60 in, before any assembly gaps |
| Spar layout | 10 mm OD main spar; 5 mm OD × 6 in smaller spars in the final review |
| Control hardware | D145SW servo, printed servo box and control rod, tape-hinged foam control surface |
Source: September 16 initial wing one-pager and supplied final design review. The initial sketch labels a 3 ft panel; the later review instead defines the 60 in nominal assembly above. These are different design revisions, not dimensions to combine.
Prototype 2: proposed planform and center joint
| Root / tip chord in the November draft | 12 in / 6.25 in |
|---|---|
| Calculated taper ratio | 6.25 / 12 ≈ 0.521, consistent with the 0.52 design specification |
| Dihedral | 5° specified at the center joint |
| Center connection | 0.5 in OD 6061-T6 tubes, 10 mm OD carbon-fiber spars, M3 retention holes |
Source: November 15 Prototype 2 one-pager. These are proposed dimensions and interfaces. The page does not claim that Prototype 2 was manufactured or that this joint passed a structural test.
Mass and manufacturing-time comparison
| Prototype 1 mass result | 42.7% lighter, complete-wing comparison including all components; historical project record |
|---|---|
| Previous / new build time | 3 months / 1 month |
The comparison includes complete wings and elapsed build time. Absolute wing masses are not available in the retained record.