OA-003

Design/Build/Fly Aircraft Work

Helped build and fly a carbon fiber VTOL aircraft from CAD to competition.

Helped manufacture Prototype 1 and the carbon fiber fuselage structure for Gator Design/Build/Fly. I also used XFLR5 to study the aerodynamics of Prototype 1, a standard aircraft layout with one nose wheel and two rear wheels.

Role

Airframe, manufacturing, and aero analysis contributor

Organization

University of Florida · Gator Design/Build/Fly

XFLR5Aerodynamic analysisCADCarbon fiber fabricationPositive moldingTeam design reviews

Carbon fiber fuselage and structure of a VTOL aircraft for Design Build Fly — Carbon fiber fuselage and structure from the VTOL aircraft I helped manufacture for Design/Build/Fly.

Manufacturing the airframe

I helped manufacture Prototype 1 and the carbon fiber fuselage structure for Gator Design/Build/Fly, using positive carbon fiber molding to lay up the fuselage.

Working the build hands-on is where design choices meet real manufacturing and flight constraints: layup quality, part fit, and structure all have to survive a competition airframe.

Ori holding Prototype 1 of a Design Build Fly aircraft — Holding Prototype 1, built using positive carbon fiber molding for the fuselage.

Aerodynamics in XFLR5

I used XFLR5 to study the aerodynamics of Prototype 1, a standard aircraft layout with one nose wheel and two rear wheels, looking at lift, induced and viscous drag, surface velocity, pressure, and downwash to check how the airframe would behave before flight.

XFLR5 aerodynamic flow visualization for Gator Design Build Fly Prototype 1 — XFLR5 analysis for Prototype 1: lift, induced drag, viscous drag, surface velocity, and stream visualization.

XFLR5 pressure and downwash visualization for Gator Design Build Fly Prototype 1 — Pressure and downwash visualization for the standard-layout Prototype 1.

Manufacturing the airframe

Aerodynamics in XFLR5

Interactive 3D CAD