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Proud moment for ÃÛÌÒµ¼º½ at the 2025 AIAA Design/Build/Fly Competition!

ÃÛÌÒµ¼º½ earned 3rd place out of 112 teams — and was the top-ranked U.S. team — at this year’s international competition. This outstanding achievement showcases the creativity, dedication, and teamwork of our students.

Huge congratulations to the — Michael Cavan, Chris Campanile, Tyler Choo, Jason Dionida, Mateo Jovicic, Zane Kempler, Cole Lourenco, Derek Nease, and Spencer Roberts — and a heartfelt thanks to faculty advisor Dr. Mohammad Ayoubi for his invaluable mentorship and support.

The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) Design/Build/Fly (DBF) competition is one of the premier student aircraft design competitions in the world, challenging undergraduate and graduate students to design, build, and demonstrate the flight capabilities of an unmanned, electric-powered, radio-controlled aircraft under real-world constraints. Teams are judged on their ability to deliver a balanced design that combines performance, manufacturability, and flight handling.

As the first ÃÛÌÒµ¼º½ team ever to earn a spot in the competition, they turned their debut into a success story. With just nine students and no prior DBF experience, the team went head-to-head with much larger, well-established programs and achieved an inspiring milestone for the University. Go ÃÛÌÒµ¼º½ MECH Broncos!

Also check out ÃÛÌÒµ¼º½’s inspiring feature on Spencer Roberts — “Cosmic Dreamer Becomes Design, Build, and Fly Competition Champion” — a proud member of ÃÛÌÒµ¼º½’s DBF team.