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Website Mission Membership Benefits

Mission
Our team designs, builds, and flies clean-sheet, special-mission aircraft for an international competition.

From the "womb to tomb" of each annual competition, we do everything from preliminary design, to CAD modeling, to prototyping and flight testing in fewer than 7 months.

DBF is challenging, fast-paced, and interdisciplinary. Being robotic systems with dozens of moving parts, each aircraft draws from every facet of engineering, including aerospace, mechanical, electrical, and software disciplines. Expertise in business operations keeps our 40+ member team running, while competitive intelligence helps us find new advantages. Model aviators from all majors pitch in to design, build, and fly our aircraft for tests and competitions.

Membership Benefits
Our membership enjoys a comprehensive engineering experience in aeronautical design, manufacturing, technical communication, and testing.

The team is comprised entirely of Freshmen, Sophomores, and Juniors, allowing underclassmen opportunities in design, technical leadership, and testing which would be Senior responsibilities in other organizations. Most underclassmen will find themselves working ahead of or directly with their coursework.

The AIAA DBF competition is recognized throughout the aerospace industry for its professional value. Active DBF members receive unique professional connections and stronger resumes from their participation.