UC Irvine Giving Day

Design/Build/Fly (DBF) at UC Irvine is a student engineering design team that provides a robust hands-on learning experience for students looking to learn more about aircraft design. Participating in the international AIAA Design/Build/Fly competition, the team develops an RC aircraft capable of meeting specific mission criteria established in a completely new set of rules each year. The theme varies, focusing on topics such as commercial flight, military testing or medical deliveries.

Preparation begins in August when the rules are released, about a month before the academic year begins. During this time, members perform many initial calculations and trade studies to determine an optimal aircraft design. Teams submit a proposal detailing a conceptual design in late October, after which most major building and testing takes place. The final design is documented in a comprehensive report submitted in February, followed by the competition in Wichita, Kansas just before the end of the academic year.

The project brings together undergraduate students of all years, providing a unique learning experience for everyone involved. Members work across a broad range of tasks, from learning to 3D-print and use CAD software to simulate aircraft performance and sizing key parameters. The hands-on skills members gain lays the groundwork for success in their careers.

Progress Report

The DBF team is excited to share all about what we have been up to since our fall 2025 Zotfunder. We are proud to announce that we successfully manufactured two prototypes to test the durability and performance of our systems and designs. While the first prototype unfortunately wasn’t able to withstand flight, our second prototype found much greater success. We aim to use this forward momentum going into our final plane, enhancing our design with what we have learned from trial and error.

Along with the plane itself, our design proposal placed 35th among hundreds of schools worldwide! With the feedback we received, we incorporated improvements to our final design report and submitted it again in February.

In addition to this, we are currently in the process of incorporating this year’s theme, “The Flying Duckman,” into our final plane and shirts for competition. Our theme is based on the legendary ghost ship, the Flying Dutchman. We are looking forward to working with this theme and seeing how our ideas come to life.

With these ambitions and goals in mind, we are reaching out to our community for your support. We ask for your help funding materials for our final plane and our team shirts for the competition. Any amount is greatly appreciated. Thank you for following along on our journey, and we hope to grow and take flight alongside you.

Your Support So Far

With a total of $3,955 raised during the fall, our team has accomplished many feats that wouldn’t have been possible without your support!

We used $1,000 of donations to purchase materials and components to build two prototypes successfully. Our members greatly benefited from manufacturing using high-quality tools, and by testing the team’s creation, we continued enriching our experience and propelling our curiosity within our fields of study.

Another $200 was spent on team polos and merch, something small but never done before. These pieces strengthened our team’s sense of unity and pride and looked stellar in our team photos and at our booth events on campus.

Furthermore, about $2,755 of funds has been allocated to aid members with travel costs. From the beginning of the year, we have wondered: would our team have the financial resources to provide our members with the opportunity to attend the competition? With the official AIAA DBF Competition held in Wichita, Kansas, costs of travel and stays are overwhelming. However, because of your generosity, we were able to provide support for 19 members, a record number in UC Irvine DBF history!

With immense gratitude, thank you for lifting our spirits and helping us take off. We are proud to have built this community with you and hope you will consider supporting us again this Giving Day. Your gifts have an everlasting impact on our journey and our team. Thank you!