Competition RC Aircraft
Overview
Designed for speed and efficiency. Our senior design team built a fixed-wing aircraft to maximize payload-to-time ratio over a 3-lap circuit. As the propulsion lead, I optimized the powertrain for performance and endurance. The aircraft featured a high-wing monoprop configuration, belly landing, and hand launch capability. It achieved the 2nd best score and won best overall team performance in the competition.
Technical Details
- Role: Propulsion Lead
- Configuration: High-wing, monoprop, belly land, hand launch
- Control Surfaces: Ailerons, vertical stabilizer, horizontal stabilizer
- Powertrain: 540KV motor, 80A ESC, 6S 3300 mAh LiPo battery
- Propeller: 13in plastic
- Weight: Empty - 5.69 lbs, Gross - 8.66 lbs
- Payload: 14 cubes (2.18 oz each)
- Flight Performance: Flight time - 90s, Max RPM - 10,000
- Aerodynamic Metrics: Max L/D - 12.5, CL_max - 1.4
- Thrust-to-Weight: 0.85
- Materials: Balsa fuselage, foam wing with wood spar
- Cost: $385
Development Process
- Design Optimization: Used XFLR for aerodynamic analysis and control stability simulations.
- Powertrain Selection: Chose motor, ESC, battery, and propeller to maximize thrust and efficiency.
- Structural Design: Constructed fuselage from balsa, reinforced wing with a wood spar.
- Flight Testing: Conducted two test flights to refine performance.
Results
- Competition Recognition - Won best overall team performance.
- Top Performance - Secured the 2nd best score in payload-to-time ratio.
- Efficient Design - Achieved an aerodynamic balance with max L/D of 12.5.