Help UW DBF reach new heights!

Design, Build, Fly at the University of Washington (DBF) is a group of students that designs, constructs, tests, and flies a mission-specific, electric-powered, remote-controlled airplane for competition. We put our engineering skills to the test by combining what we learn in the classroom with hands-on experience. We are raising $5,000 in order to acquire the necessary testing systems, tools, and machinery that will help us build more advanced airplanes, take our team to new heights, and allow us to practice real world engineering.



DBF is competing in the 19th Annual AIAA Design/Build/Fly Competition hosted by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) Foundation, Cessna Aircraft Company, and Raytheon Missile Systems in Tucson, Arizona. To keep things interesting, the mission requirements change from year to year. At this year’s competition, our airplane will be performing four missions: a payload loading time trial, a ferry flight, a sensor package transport mission, and a sensor drop mission. The fourth mission is the most unique as it requires our airplane to drop sensors, represented by wiffle balls, into a designated drop zone.

How will my support help UW DBF?

$5000 Budget Breakdown

Prior to the construction of a competition airplane, prototypes are built and flown in order to observe how individual features, such as the airfoil, empennage design, motor arrangement, etc., affect the airplane’s overall performance. The data from these test flights is then analyzed so that it can be applied to the next prototype.

With more accurate data, a winning competition airplane can be built. However, such data requires (a) comprehensive systems with multiple sensors which collect the data, and (b) multiple prototypes which, with current construction techniques, take a great deal of time to build.

With new machinery, such as a computer-controlled wire cutter, our team will be able to fabricate aircraft parts more accurately and duplicate them more precisely. Such machinery allows us to manufacture more prototypes.

Additionally, new testing equipment, such as an onboard telemetry system, will allow us to collect valuable dynamic data during test flights. We want our work to represent what engineers do in the real world. This equipment enables us to practice real world engineering, as aviation firms have whole divisions dedicated to constructing and testing many prototypes intricately wired with sensors. It guarantees that they can build the optimal airplane, which is what we want to do as well.

With your support, our team will be able to acquire the necessary testing systems, tools, and machinery that will allow us to practice real world engineering and see our creations take flight.

What makes UW DBF so unique?

Our group is neither a prerequisite to get into a major nor a requirement to graduate; it is neither an official class nor a senior capstone project, and doesn’t have dedicated funding. We are a student-run club composed of students from all backgrounds who simply share a passion for the skies. We volunteer our time and energy to do this because it is what we love to do.

That being said, we are more than just nerds who love math, science, and engineering. We are the under-Dawgs and are proud to represent the University of Washington and Seattle at the Design/Build/Fly Competition!

Come along for the ride!

This is a great opportunity for students to put their engineering skills to the test and practice aircraft development, and we would like you to be a part of it! Everybody is invited to follow our current progress on our Facebook page, where we will be sharing what we’re up to prior to, during, and after the competition. We will proudly recognize donors through our donors list, on social media, and on the competition airplane itself. Please join us in supporting the next generation of aeronautical engineers!