The Project

For this project, we were tasked with designing a drone that would be able to compete in the SAE Aero design challenge. Its been a few years now, so I don't quite remember all the details, but here is what I do remember:

• The drone needed to fit in a box of a certain size and to be assembled in less than two (?) minutes

• The drone needed to carry a payload of PVC pipes

• Some other restrictions on the size, weight, and power source

• The drone would be evaluated based on how much payload it could carry in relation to its own weight

My team and I decided to pursue a flying wing design, as it would save the weight of adding a tail and rear control surfaces at the expense of making the drone more difficult to fly (Not the best choice considering my piloting history). The drone would be assembled in parts, each connected with a interlocking slot and screw head. This assembly method was used to allow for easy adjustments to be made to the design. The payload would be attached underneath the fuselage with the same connection system. The wings were cut from Styrofoam insulation with a hot wire and laser cut template.

Considering the performance of the last drone I made, I would say it was a great improvement. If you consider how well we did on the course project, it was a success by that metric as well.