Design/Build/Fly
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Design/Build/Fly, or DBF, is a radio-controlled aircraft competition sponsored by the American institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), Cessna Aircraft Company, and Raytheon Missile Systems. The Office of Naval Research was also a sponsor until 2006. The competition is intended to challenge the AIAA student branches of each university to design, build, and fly a remote controlled airplane that can complete specific ground and flight missions. Additionally, the teams are required to submit a comprehensive design report detailing the most important aspects of their designs.
The competition rules change every year. Usually, rules are published in late August and the competition fly-off is held in April. The rules define a mathematical formula used to determine the score for an entry. Recent competitions' formulas have used a combination of design report score, mission score determined by performance conducting one or more mission tasks at the fly-off, and Rated Aircraft Cost, a variable used to define the complexity of the design.
| Year | Location | 1st Place | 2nd Place | 3rd Place | 4th Place | 5th Place |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Ragged Island, MD | University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign | Virginia Tech | Texas A&M University | Utah State University | West Virginia University |
| 1998 | Wichita, KS | University of Southern California ("Pepe") | Texas A&M University | Syracuse University | University of Texas, Austin | Utah State University [Paper Score] |
| 1999 | Pax River, MD | Utah State University | Oklahoma State University | University of Southern California ("H2OT Shark") | Georgia Institute of Technology | Texas A&M University |
| 2000 | Wichita, KS | Utah State University ("Wing and a Prayer") | Oklahoma State University 1 | University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign | Georgia Institute of Technology | Oklahoma State University 2 |
| 2001 | Pax River, MD | Oklahoma State University (Orange) | California Polytechnic State University | Oklahoma State University (Black) | University of California, San Diego | Utah State University |
| 2002 | Wichita, KS | University of California, San Diego | University of Southern California ("SCrewball") | West Virginia University | University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign | Universita degli Studi di Roma La Sapienza |
| 2003 | Ridgely Airpark, MD | San Diego State University | California Polytechnic State University | Universita degli Studi di Roma La Sapienza | University of Southern California ("SCyRaider") | Oklahoma State University (Black) |
| 2004 | Wichita, KS | Oklahoma State University (Black) | Oklahoma State University (Orange) | University of Southern California ("SCquirt") | University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign | California Polytechnic State University |
| 2005 | Pax River, MD | Oklahoma State University (Black) | Oklahoma State University (Orange) | Washington State University | Virginia Tech | University of California, San Diego |
| 2006 | Wichita, KS | Oklahoma State University (Black) | Oklahoma State University (Orange) | California Polytechnic State University (24" Wood) | University of Southern California ("SCtingray") | Istanbul Technical University |
| 2007 | Tucson, AZ | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Oklahoma State University (Orange) | Purdue University | Oklahoma State University (Black) | Wichita State University (Shockin' Surveyor) |
| 2008 | Wichita, KS | Oklahoma State University (Black) | University of Texas, Austin (The Hornworks) | Oklahoma State University (Orange) | University of Texas, Austin (Orange Bullet) | University of Colorado Boulder |
| 2009 | Tucson, AZ | Oklahoma State University (Black) | Oklahoma State University (Orange) | University of Southern California ("Turbo Encabulator") | Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Just Wing It) | University of California - Irvine (Zot Rocket) |
| 2010 | Wichita, KS | Oklahoma State University (Orange) | Oklahoma State University (Black) | Purdue University (B'Euler Up) | University of Texas, Austin (Bat Wing) | California Polytechnic State University (Swings Both Ways) |
| 2011 | Tucson, AZ | Georgia Institute of Technology (There Will Be Buzz) | University of Southern California (The RFB) | Purdue University (The Golfstream) | Wichita State University (MiniWheat) | California Polytechnic State University (Balls Deep) |
| 2012 | Wichita, KS | San Jose State University (Team PhalanX) | University of California, Irvine (Angel of Attack) | University of Colorado Boulder (H2BuffalO) | Istanbul Technical University (ATA) | University of Oklahoma (Crimson Skies) |
| 2013 | Tucson, AZ | University of California, Irvine | San Diego State University | Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | University of Colorado Boulder |
| 2014 | Wichita, KS | University of Southern California ("MiSChief") | University of California, Irvine | San Jose State University | University of Ljubljana, Slovenia | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| 2015 | Tucson, AZ | University of Ljubljana, Slovenia | University of California, Irvine | Georgia Institute of Technology | Tel Aviv University | University of Texas, Austin (The RebUTtal) |
| 2016 | Wichita, KS | San Jose State University | Georgia Institute of Technology | University of California, Irvine | Virginia Tech | University of Oklahoma |
| 2017 | Tucson, AZ | University of Southern California ("StarSCream") | Georgia Institute of Technology | University of Ljubljana, Slovenia | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Oregon State University |
| 2018 | Wichita, KS | Clarkson University ("KnightHawk") | Virginia Tech | Georgia Institute of Technology | University of Ljubljana, Slovenia | University of Texas, Austin |
| 2019 | Tucson, AZ | University of Ljubljana, Slovenia ("Pretty Boy") | Georgia Institute of Technology | FH Joanneum | University of Southern California ("ExSCalibur") | Veermata Jijabai Technological Institute ("Jatayu") |
| 2020[1] | Wichita, KS | University of Southern California | Georgia Institute of Technology | University of Nevada, Las Vegas | Pennsylvania State University | The City College of New York |
- 1. The 2020 fly-off was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Scores and rankings were solely based on the report scores.