Cargo Plane 2023-2024

Spanning several years, UCI Cargo Plane is a well-renowned project at the University of California, Irvine. This project provides a great opportunity for undergraduate and graduate students to learn the fundamentals of aircraft design, as it brings together the foundations of aerospace engineering and combines it with hands-on manufacturing experience. In our specific case, members of the UCI Cargo Plane team will learn how to design a plane that carries metal weights. These skills will aid these members in future endeavors where they may design planes that could potentially carry more precious cargo. 

Given the formidable challenge by SAE, teams are expected to bring together unique perspectives in creating a one of a kind RC aircraft, capable of meeting all constraints. These constraints include power limiters and limited wingspan. Additionally, the Aero Design West Competition takes the common practice of RC aircraft competitions and raises the level of complexity, requiring all planes competing to meet higher size constraints and to house more complex features. All participating teams are expected to go through the entire design process, create a thorough design report, and present the team’s design to a panel of industry engineers.