There are three flagship projects that the team is working on during the 2024-25 season. The regular class and advanced class projects focus on vehicle design are in preparation for the SAE Aero Design competition held in April 2025. The IARC challenge focuses on software and features a multi-year process to create a fully autonomous drone network.
REGULAR CLASS
In Penn AiR’s regular class program, students design and build a high lift electric aircraft capable of lifting up to 55 lbs. Featuring a wingspan of 15 ft, the vehicle remains one of the largest flying vehicles built by students from scratch in the world.
ADVANCED CLASS
Penn AiR’s 2025 advanced class program features a new vehicle capable of fully autonomous vertical landing and takeoff inspired by the V-22 Osprey. With a largely-composite airframe, the vehicle utilizes machine vision to efficiently complete payload capture tasks.
Past projects
