Building the Future of Flight

Follow our journey as we design, build, and test a custom drone from the ground up. Every component, every wire, every line of code documented.

Meet the TeamExplore 3D Model
Scroll
Final Product

Final Product Flying

Build Progress

The Build Journey

From initial concept to final assembly, scroll through each phase of our drone construction process.

Cut out foam wing
Phase 1

Wing Fabrication

Constructing the foam wings

Servo cuttouts in foam wing
Phase 2

Servo Mock Cutouts

Creating precise cutouts for servo installation

Aleron cuts in foam wing
Phase 3

Aileron Cuts

Creating precise cutouts for aileron movement

Assembling T-joints to the carbon fiber tubing
Phase 4

Spar Connections with T-Joints

Connecting carbon fiber tubing spars using T-joints

Resining the carbon fiber tubing to the foam wing
Phase 5

Resining the Spars to the Wings

Applying resin to secure the spars to the foam wings

fiberglass resined wings
Phase 6

Fiberglass Resining the Wings

Applying fiberglass and resin over the foam wings for strength

Completed wings with carbon fiber tubes and fuselage cone
Phase 7

Final Assembly of Iteration 1

Final assembly of wings, fuselage, and components for first iteration without the electronics

Fabrication of the second iteration of the wings
Phase 8

V2 Wing Fabrication

Fabrication of the second iteration of the wings.

Vacuum sealing the second iteration of the wings
Phase 9

V2 Wing vacuum sealing

Vacuum sealing the second iteration of the wings.

Red airframe assembly positioned in fabrication workshop
Phase 10

Assembled V2 Airframe and Wings

Assembled the second iteration of the airframe and wings.

Team members working on the drone frame in the fabrication lab
Phase 11

Lab Integration Session

Hands-on systems integration and assembly work in the innovation center.

Discovered a problem with the wiring and had to fix it.
Phase 12

V2 Electrical Integration Hiccup

Discovered a problem with the wiring and had to fix it.

Team members routing and securing wiring on the VTOL airframe
Phase 13

Electrical Integration

Integrating power distribution, ESCs, and harness routing across the frame for system bring-up.

Completed Quetzal VTOL with red side panels on grass outdoors
Phase 14

Final Drone

Fully integrated airframe ready for field testing and flight operations.

Phase 1Phase 14
Interactive Experience

Explore Every Component

Dive deep into our drone's architecture. Click on component markers to learn about each part's role in the system.

Interactive 3D Model

Select a component or drag to rotate

Drag to rotate

Components

Milestone Achievement

First Flight

The moment of truth. Watch our drone take to the skies for the very first time after months of development and testing.

14

Team Members

8

Months of Development

23

Flight Tests

18

Successful Flights

Meet the Engineers Behind the Project

Get to know the talented students who made this project possible. View their profiles, read about their contributions, and connect with them on LinkedIn.

View Team