Sydney UAV Engineering

For the past three years, I have been deeply involved with the University of Sydney Design Build Fly (USYD DBF), a student team dedicated to designing, manufacturing, and testing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Now, my time at USYD DBF has concluded as I wrap up my tenure as the Project Director of the 2023-24 season, as well as the Co-President of its parent society, Sydney UAV Engineering.   At the start of the season, Joshua and I set ambitious goals to grow and establish this young team. I am proud to share that under our leadership, we achieved significant milestones: - Broke into the Top 10 of the AIAA Design Build Fly Competition for the first time in Australian History, placing 10th out of 107 global teams - Maintained our streak as the 1st placed team in the Asia-Pacific and Australia - Rapid-prototyped a record three aircraft within 7 months - Created a thorough induction and training program for recruits, coupled with a mock DBF Competition - Cemented our brand image and reputation through professional and community events, marketing, merchandise, and videography content - Doubled number of sponsors - Created a comprehensive HR system with documentation and conflict-resolution strategies   These achievements result from the dedication of over 60 individuals in the Engineering and Operations teams, who represent the brightest future of engineering and their respective fields. I am deeply thankful to my Co-President, Joshua Kallarackel, for being a pillar throughout this journey, whose larger-than-life visions gave us direction as a society. Jacob James and Hugh Dillon, who led the Design and Manufacturing departments respectively, inspired us all with their extensive technical knowledge that was rivalled only by their commitment. With Joshua and Jessica Song leading the society for the incoming season, I have full faith that SUAVE will continue to thrive and reach new heights.   This experience has undoubtedly been the highlight of my university career, enriching me as an engineer, a leader, a team member, and a human being. I am proud of my contributions that have helped pave the way for the team over the years, from kickstarting our manufacturing journey and leading the team’s first-ever aircraft build, to directing the group effort to produce our best-performing technical report to date. More importantly, I am grateful for the opportunity to be a part of a team of like-minded and driven individuals with a love for aviation.   As I take the skills and experiences I’ve gained into the next chapter of my career, I look forward to new challenges with great excitement. All the best, SUAVE and USYD DBF!

The University of Sydney Design Build Fly Team (USYD DBF) has again had a very successful competition, culminating in the fly-offs hosted by AIAA and Textron Aviation in Wichita, Kansas. This is my second year attending the competition, and I am proud to say that the team have levelled up! The level of dedication I have seen from our members over the last year has been incredible. I have been fortunate to see Orange Hornet come to life, from whiteboard sketches, to seeing it fly past at 150+ km/hr. The USYD DBF team has become the first Australian team to join the top 10 club at the annual DBF competition. This is not only a statement to the capabilities of our team, but to the capabilities of the UAV engineering field in Australia 🇦🇺. Along with this, the team were:  🥇 1st in Australia and Asia-Pacific Region (Maintained) 🥈 2nd ranked International Team (Team Record) 🌏 10th out of 107 teams globally (Team Record) As one of the Project Directors, alongside Joanna Liu, I was able to lead a team of 40 engineers through 8 months of design and manufacturing. I am proud to have honed how this gifted team functions, witnessing their talents turn into a beautiful aircraft that was commended for its performance and aesthetics. I would like to thank the leads: Jacob James, Hugh Dillon, Kyle Mayes, Travis Giannarakis, Joseph Diong, Jessica Song, Joshua Kay, Anna Lee, Muhammad Issa Imran, Yuvraj Sood and Ahaan Gautam; for all of their hard work leading up to and during the competition. I would also like to thank all of the members of USYD DBF, for their contributions to making sure this aircraft comes to fruition, both on the engineering and operations teams. You have all made a big dream come true. I would also like to thank Jeremy Randle for his support during the design phase; Steve Dalton -Keep for his support during flight testing; and KC Wong for being our academic advisor and a rock for the team whenever needed. And a special thank you to Jimmy Prouty for piloting our aircraft during the competition. I would also like to thank Joanna Liu, for being the most diligent Co-Project Director that the team has ever seen. This entire season was made possible by all of her hard work, and I could not have asked for a more supportive role model for the team to look up to. I am glad that we were able to do this together. Since its establishment, Sydney UAV Engineering (SUAVE) have been pushing the boundaries of UAV engineering, clearly shown through its support of the globally ranked USYD DBF Team. The team could not have attained the astounding results it has, without the support from SUAVE sponsors. Namely, Engineering and Computer Science - University of Sydney , University of Sydney School of AMME, Innovaero, LEAP Australia, Balsa Central, Engineers Australia and OpenDoor. The USYD DBF Team will undoubtedly continue to soar to new heights during the next season of the competition, and I am excited to witness what they can achieve.

Project Orange Hornet has secured a spot in the Top 10 for the first time in USYD DBF history! Sydney UAV Engineering is thrilled to share that our USYD DBF team’s entry into the 2024 AIAA Design Build Fly competition, Orange Hornet, has achieved: 🏆 P1 in Asia-Pacific 🏆 P1 in Australia 🥈 P2 internationally 🌏 P10 out of 107 teams overall Orange Hornet is a remote-controlled UAV designed for Urban Air Mobility, capable of efficient transportation of medical supplies and passengers. Featuring a 1.5 m wingspan and a rapid wing swivel mechanism, the aircraft can seamlessly fit within a 2.5 ft (0.76 m) parking space and can be assembled with full payload in under 5 minutes. Marking the team’s second ever attendance of the DBF Fly-offs, the aircraft flew competitively in Wichita, Kansas, and completed all missions successfully without any failures. This outstanding achievement reflects the dedication and hard work of every member of the USYD DBF Engineering and Operations teams, who have devoted themselves tirelessly to this project over the past year. We are also immensely grateful to the staff members at the University of Sydney, particularly our Team Faculty Advisor, Professor KC Wong, for his commitment to providing resources, guidance, and workshop space, and Jeremy Randle, who was ever ready to offer his mentorship to the team throughout the process. A special thanks to all the other university staff members who contributed expertise at our critical design reviews – Dries Verstraete, Nicholas Lawson FRAeS, Zihao Wang, Yuchen Huang, and Nishanth Menakath. An aircraft’s success hinges on its pilot – we would like to extend our thanks to Steve Dalton -Keep for flying our aircraft during flight-testing this season, enabling us to test performance capabilities and push limits. And to our Competition Pilot, Jimmy Prouty, who spearheaded the team’s competition run at the Fly-off with his exceptional flying of Orange Hornet in the extremely windy conditions of Wichita. We express our deepest gratitude to our sponsors for their generous support, with special appreciation to our Sapphire sponsors: the School of AMME and the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Sydney, and Innovaero. Thank you to LEAP Australia, Balsa Central, Engineers Australia, and OpenDoor Coaching, for contributing to next-generation engineering. At Sydney UAV Engineering, we are committed to pushing the boundaries of UAV design and fostering the growth of our members as engineers and leaders. We are proud to have achieved this well and truly this season, where we designed an aircraft that stands proudly amongst veterans of the competition. The team will continue to strive for excellence in the seasons to come. Thank you for joining us on this journey so far – here’s to the next season, and beyond!

We are very excited to announce Open Door Coaching as our newest sponsor! At SUAVE, we value OpenDoor’s commitment to bringing out the best in the people they work with - by providing personalised coaching for anyone looking for a lucrative job in high frequency trading. Through their OpenDoor Academy program, you get access to weekly one-on-one mentoring, insights into top HFT firms, weekly mock interviews, 400+ practice interview questions, and their in-house resume service. You can learn more about their unique program at: https://lnkd.in/gYZUGdTA We extend our appreciation to OpenDoor Coaching for this valuable partnership! #usydSUAVEteam #usyddbf #OpenDoorCoaching #trading #engineering #UAVengineering #studentclub #aiaadbf #dbf2024 #usyd #aeronautics

We would like to extend a massive thank you to Balsa Central for their unwavering support and supply of high-grade wood. Balsa Central is a major Australian provider of balsa wood and plywood which are produced exclusively in environmentally and socially sustainable plantations in Papua New Guinea. A well-made aircraft begins with finding the right materials. Our USYD DBF team relies on wood from Balsa Central to build our airframes and payload. Balsa Central’s commitment to exceptional quality timber is something the team could not be prouder of! #usydSUAVEteam #usyddbf #engineering #UAVengineering #studentclub #aiaa #aiaadbf #dbf2023 #dbf2024 #usyd #aeronautics #balsacentral

Several weeks back, we held our very first Design Night to showcase the work of our engineering teams over the past couple of months. In the ultimate journey to achieve fixed wing autonomous racing, we celebrated our first quadcopter flight, successful SITL simulation, and our progress in computer vision research with Project FASTR! We were also buzzing with excitement as we unveiled our latest entry for the DBF competition - Project Orange Hornet! Like a real hornet, Project Orange Hornet represents a spirit of courage and fearlessness in the face of challenges, which the USYD DBF team has embodied over the past few months. We extend a heartfelt gratitude to everyone who turned up and supported us - your encouragement drives our achievements! With the competition just a few months away, we are so excited to reveal our aircraft for the season ✈️ #usydSUAVEteam #usyddbf #engineering #UAVengineering #studentclub #aiaa #aiaadbf #dbf2023 #dbf2024 #usyd #aeronautics