Picture this: a caravan of 31 Texas A&M University aspiring engineers, a custom-built radio-controlled plane – appropriately named Rev Force 1 – road tripping to Tucson, Ariz., to compete in the annual American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics’ (AIAA) Design Build Fly competition.
For the Texas A&M AIAA Design Build Fly chapter, this moment isn’t a fever dream, it's the finale of more than six months of planning, preparation and execution. Culminating in a fly-off of more than 1,000 students from 100+ teams and 15 different countries, AIAA’s Design Build Fly competition gathers teams of undergraduate students who are competing to validate their designs, represent their school’s engineering chops and come out on top.
When the specifications for the yearly competition are released in September, the countdown is on. The team immediately races to create a design proposal and manufacture their plane from scratch. As they begin their iterations throughout the test-flight process, the magic happens as the team starts to see their radio-controlled (RC) plane design come to life.
However, the journey to get from ideation to execution is a costly feat, including building a plane using materials like carbon fiber and Kevlar and coordinating travel for more than 30 members of the team to attend the annual competition. Expenses add up quickly, and for the members of Design Build Fly, the cost to follow their passion can be north of $7,000 for the plane build and competition travel expenses.
Funding Engineering Dreams and a Unique Aggie Experience
Many of the Design Build Fly team members join the group without knowing if they’ll be able to afford the travel to the AIAA competition later that year, but want to do their part to build a winning RC plane regardless. That’s where the Aggie Experience Fund, an endowed fund through the Division of Student Affairs that directly sponsors the student experience, has had an impact in assisting students with competition costs that might otherwise hold them back. To help kickstart Aggies specifically on an advanced manufacturing career path – like the Design Build Fly Team, the Ford Aggie Experience fund is earmarked by the Ford Motor Company to support students' growth in the skills that will serve them down the road.
“When we get to have experiences like building new planes and not having to worry about money to compete because of donors, we're allowed to become better engineers,” said the team’s structures manufacturing lead, Zachary Vasseur ‘27. “We also get to contribute to Texas A&M’s engineering reputation through competing in AIAA Design Build Fly and demonstrate to so many other universities that we are quality engineers, care about our work and have integrity.”
Competing as a sophomore this past spring, Vasseur also notes that not many of his classes were project-based yet, so being able to learn through hands-on experience helps put students like him ahead of the curve.
Test Flights and a Tight-knit Crew
More than half of the members major in a subject directly related to what they’re learning through Design Build Fly, but experiential learning is just one of the many benefits of being a part of the team. Students learn project management, build confidence in their skills both inside and outside the classroom and get to network with other universities while representing Texas A&M within the broader AIAA organization.
But for the bright minds and engineering-obsessed Aggies who initially connect over a shared passion, many also find that Design Build Fly provides a place for them to call their own. The team ends up spending the better part of the academic year working closely together, and through early morning test flights and the process of building the best RC plane possible, they become a tight-knit crew and good friends.
“I knew I wanted to be part of some sort of team at Texas A&M, but for a while, I struggled to get involved or really feel accepted,” shared team business leader and project manager, Maximilian Kaase ‘27. “But one day, I met a previous leader of Design Build Fly at a Chick-fil-A of all places, and he encouraged me to apply. The next time I saw them tabling, I applied and got in right away with no prior experience. Since then, I’ve moved up the ranks and helped grow membership this year. I couldn’t be more excited about the team we’ve built.”
Road tripping to the competition together is what helps solidify the team's bonds, though. Motivated team members leave the competition excited and energized, wanting to return the following year to build a better plane, and for the ability to have that experience, the students in the Texas A&M Design Build Fly chapter are grateful.
“We’re super grateful for the Aggie Experience Fund,” said Kaase. ‘And having the access to apply for funds for cool opportunities like this opens the world for every single A&M student, not just engineers. It can be a game changer for every other major, because there's something for everyone here, and that's what I love about Texas A&M. Assistance from the Aggie Experience Fund can help other students like me get one step closer to finding what they’re passionate about.”
