Autonomous GPS‑Homing Glider — Electrical Subteam Lead
For the 2025 AIAA DBF challenge in Tucson, AZ, I led the Electrical subteam. I was responsible for developing an autonomous GPS‑homing glider and packaging its avionics into the airframe of an off‑the‑shelf toy R/C plane for reliable deployment and recovery.
16th of ~200 teams Tucson, Arizona
What I Built
Autonomous glider avionics: Integrated GPS receiver, flight controller, and power distribution; implemented return‑to‑home logic and failsafes for autonomous homing after release.
Airframe integration: Miniaturized and secured electronics within a commercial toy R/C fuselage to meet DBF mass and volume constraints while maintaining serviceability.
Electrical leadership: Owned Arduino integration, wiring, sensors, and connectivity.
- GPS + Hall effect sensor fusion for drop sensing and navigation
- Battery integration, center of mass alignment, and LED nav light to meet regulatory requirements
- Led the development of PID software to perform continuous course correction
Results & What’s Next
- Our team placed 16th out of ~200 teams at the 2025 competition in Tucson, Arizona.
- Following the season, I was elected to the team’s executive board as Chief Quality Control Engineer, where I’m standardizing build reviews and test cards ahead of next year’s competition in Kansas.
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