Aero Senior Design
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2025-2026 |
2024-2025 |
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2023-2024 |
2022-2023 |
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2021-2022 |
2020-2021 |
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2019-2020 |
2018-2019 |
The
Aero Senior Design course is a two-semester capstone project at Mechanical
Engineering department to design, manufacture, assemble, and test a
radio-controlled airplane. In this project, senior undergraduate students apply
engineering fundamentals, analysis skills, and software to design, manufacture,
and test an innovative remote controlled primary aircraft to deliver and
release payloads into a targeted area. The current mission challenge is in the
context of airborne delivery of packages. Airborne delivery is an essential
approach to develop sustainable logistics solutions and to address
transportation challenges such as traffic congestion and environmental impact.
CSUN Aero Senior Design students are working on developing airborne delivery
systems for real-world delivery scenarios. The team design, manufacture, and
test a small-scale radio-controlled airplane with autonomous capabilities for
different transportation phases including takeoff, payload delivery,
navigation, retrieval, and landing. The design autonomy is aligned with the
current needs in industry and public to reduce human intervention, while
enhancing reliability and operational efficiency. In the past couple of years,
the mission of the project was in the context of fighting wildfires. California
wildfires are becoming an increasingly pressing issue and the mobilization of
resources can be difficult while fighting wildfires. As such, it is necessary
to develop more options for reducing mobilization time. CSUN Aero Senior Design
students worked on solutions to this issue by designing more efficient aircraft
and ground vehicle system that autonomously fights wildfires. In addition to
the primary aircraft, the students developed a Powered Autonomous Delivery
Aircraft (PADA) and an autonomous Ground Transport Vehicle (GTV), representing
a scaled down firefighting operation.
The
Aero Senior Design project is a hands-on experience emphasizing the importance
of educational values and the technology advances. In this multidisciplinary
project, sub-teams of Aerodynamics, Structure, Avionics, and System &
Integration work together to achieve the project goals. In the first phase of
the project, the emphasis is on the application of engineering fundamentals to
a comprehensive design project utilizing computer-aided design and analysis
tools. In the second phase of the project, the students manufacture, assemble,
and test the designed primary aircraft and supplemental parts. The design is
then improved through an iterative process leading to high performance
products. In the final phase, the team participate in various competitions, including
International SAE Aero Design Competition, CSUNPosium, and Senior Design
Project Showcase (SDPS) held by the College of Engineering and Computer
Science.
The
Aero Senior Design project provides an opportunity for students from different
departments (Mechanical Engineering, Electrical and Computer Engineering, and
Computer Science) to apply the fundamentals and knowledge they have acquired
during their undergraduate studies. In the Aerodynamics sub-team, the students
employ computational fluid dynamics (CFD) tools, semi-empirical methods, and
experimental tests to design the configuration of the primary aircraft, while
investigating the flow field characteristics, stability, and control. In
Structure sub-team, the structural analysis, material selection, manufacturing,
assembly, integration, and testing are performed. The Avionics sub-team works
on flight control, data acquisition system, tracking, autonomous flights,
computer vision, machine learning, target detection, and software development.
System & Integration sub-team is responsible for well-organized
communications between the sub-teams, risk analysis, system integration,
performance improvement, and addressing the competition regulations. Throughout
the project, the students practice team-working, systematic design, and
time/cost/resource management. During two semesters of the project, the
students present preliminary and critical design reviews, prepare reports, and
participate in the competitions. Similar to professional engineers in industry,
the students design and develop a project from conceptual design to
manufacturing. That provides an opportunity for students to better understand
the fundamentals, apply the knowledge, overcome management and technical
challenges, and develop critical communication skills. Over the years, the Aero
Senior Design project has performed a continuous improvement. The project helps
the Mechanical Engineering department to meet the ABET accreditation criteria
by design and development of a complex engineering system.
I am
glad that Aero Senior Design team could complete and showcase high-quality
works in the past academic years and could achieve several prestigious awards
in International SAE Aero Competition, CSUNPosium, and CSUN Senior Design
Project Showcase (SDPS). We are currently seeking students from Mechanical
Engineering, Electrical and Computer Engineering, and Computer Science who will
meet the prerequisites for the senior design course for the Fall 2026, and have
a strong interest in joining next year's team. Feel free to reach out to me at
shadi.mahjoob@csun.edu for any questions.
Shadi
Mahjoob, PhD
Professor
Mechanical
Engineering Department
California
State University, Northridge
Email: shadi.mahjoob@csun.edu
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Fall 2025 - Spring 2026
The 2025-26 Aero Senior
design team was a diverse team with 22 students from Mechanical Engineering,
Electrical and Computer Engineering, and Computer Science departments. The team
participated in the International SAE Aero Design West Competition which was
concluded in April 2026 in Texas. The SAE Aero Design Competition consists of
three classes: Micro, Regular, and Advanced. Our team competed in the Advanced
Class, which is the most challenging category of the competition, and earned
the following distinctions:
4th
Place in Flight Demonstration Readiness Review (FDRR) Presentation
4th
Place in Mission Performance
5th
Place Overall
in the Advanced Class of
International SAE Aero Design West Competition in 2026.
Our team competed
against 21 strong teams from the United States, Poland, Spain, China, India,
Canada, and Mexico. Organized by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE), the
competition provides students with a rigorous, industry-like experience featuring
high standards, demanding design requirements, and performance-driven
evaluations. The current mission challenge focuses on airborne package
delivery, a critical area for developing sustainable logistics solutions and
addressing transportation challenges such as traffic congestion and
environmental impact. The emphasis on autonomous design aligns closely with
current industry and public needs to reduce human intervention while improving
reliability and operational efficiency. During the competition, team members
also had valuable opportunities to engage with industry professionals,
receiving technical feedback, career guidance, and recognition for their work.
In addition, the team
participated in the CSUNPosium, where they presented the engineering details of
the project and received:
Two 1st
Place Awards in 2026 CSUNPosium
In August 22 2025, the team
showcased the project at the Grand
Opening and Ribbon Cutting of the Autodesk Technology Engagement Center at
CSUN.
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Fall 2024 - Spring 2025
The 2024-25 Aero Senior
design team was a diverse team with 25 students from Mechanical Engineering,
Electrical and Computer Engineering, and Computer Science departments. The team
consists of subteams of Aerodynamics, Structure, Avionics, and System &
Integration. Our 2024-25 CSUN Aeronautics team was awarded as the Top
Mechanical Engineering Senior Design Team for Oral Presentation at Senior
Design Project Showcase (SDPS) Competition, organized by the CSUN College of
Engineering and Computer Science in May 2025. The team also participated in
2025 International SAE Aero West Competition in the Advanced Class and was
placed 4th for Flight Demonstration Readiness Review (FDRR) presentation.
During the competition, the team members had the chance to connect with
industry professionals, gaining insights for improvements, career advice, and
recognition for their work. The team also presented the engineering details of
the project in 2025 CSUNPosium. We have had a diverse team who collaborated
well for the success of the team. It was inspiring to see the dedication and
involvement from every team member.
The team was awarded as the Top Mechanical Engineering
Senior Design Team for Oral Presentation at Senior Design Project Showcase
(SDPS) Competition. Congratulations to the team.
It is an honor that the Aero SD team captain (Gevork
Gazdzhyan) was awarded as the Top Undergraduate Student of Mechanical
Engineering and 2024-2025 College of Engineering and Computer Science
Graduating Scholar.
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Fall 2023 - Spring 2024
The 2023-24 Aero Senior design team was a diverse team with 29 students
from Mechanical Engineering, Electrical and Computer Engineering, and Computer
Science departments. The team designed and manufactured an innovative aircraft
with flying wing design in addition to fully autonomous PADA and GTV and participated in 2024 International SAE
Aero Design Competition. The team participated in the
Advanced Class which is the most challenging category in the competition and
received:
·
3rd Place Award for Technical
Presentation
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In addition, the team had a well participation in 2024 CSUNPosium and presented the engineering
details of the project, receiving a First Place Award in the competition.
The team
also participated in Senior Design Project Showcase held by CSUN College
of Engineering in May 2024 and was awarded as the Top Mechanical
Engineering Team for Oral Presentation (https://w2.csun.edu/engineering-computer-science/college/students/senior-design-project-showcase).
There were several dedicated students in the team and the
team Avionics Lead (Randal Engelhardt) was the selected Top Undergraduate
Student of Mechanical Engineering in May 2024.
Some team photos:
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Fall 2022 - Spring 2023
2022-23 Aero Senior Design team designed and manufactured an innovative
aircraft with flying wing design in addition to fully autonomous PADA and GTV.
The team participated in 2023 International SAE Aero West Competition:
·
2nd Place Standing for Technical Presentation
The team participated in the Advanced Class which is the most
challenging category in the competition. The team also received 2 awards in 2023
CSUNPosium:
·
1st
Place, "Aerodynamic
analysis of a flying wing aircraft", Raphael Perez, Sahil Keniya, and Ivan Ayon
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1st
Place, "Quantification of carbon fiber interference with radio
waves between receiver and transmitter for RC planes in terms of
concealment and percentage of signal loss", Brenda
Rios and Daniel Lu
Primary Aircraft, PADA, and GTV
PADA
GTV
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Fall 2021 - Spring 2022
2021-22 Aero Senior Design team won 2 awards in 2022 International
SAE Aero West Competition:
·
2nd Place Award for Mission Performance
·
3rd Place Award for Technical Presentation
The team participated in the Advanced Class which is the most
challenging category in the competition.
In addition, the Aero Senior Design team won two awards in Senior
Design Project Showcase, held by the college of Engineering and Computer
Science on Thursday May 5th (https://www.csun.edu/sites/default/files/SDPS2022Brochure5May22FINAL2-lk.pdf):
College Top Senior Design Project Display (Grand Prize, Award:
$1000)
Top Overall Oral Presentation of Mechanical
Engineering Department (Award: $500)
The team also received 3 First Place awards in 2022
CSUNPosium.
·
1st Place, "Aerodynamic Characteristics of
Horizontal and Vertical Tails", Hamza Abdullah and Erick
Navarro-Hernandez.
· 1st Place, "Optimization of Electronic
Control Systems", Christopher Gonzalez.
· 1st Place, "Aerodynamics Analysis of a
Powered Autonomous Delivery Aircraft", Sara Khan and Noe Diaz.
CSUN Today: CSUN Team Soars at SAE International Aero Design West
Competition
CSUN
Today: Engineering and Computer Science Seniors
Showcase Their Innovations
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Fall 2020 - Spring 2021
Aero Senior Design 2020-21 team won the First Place in Mechanical Eng. in Senior Design
Project Showcase (SDPS).
The team won 4th Place in
presentation in 2021 International SAE Aero competition (Advanced class).
The students also received 3 Awards (1st
and 2nd places) in 2021 CSUNPosium:
·
1st Place- Poster Presentation, Aero Senior
Design: “Performance Study of Low Reynolds Number Eppler 423
Airfoil”, Presented by Isaac Chavez
·
2nd Place- Ten Minute Oral
Presentation, Aero Senior Design: “Performance Study of a Lifting
Fuselage”, Presented by Lorenzo Quijas and Tahir Quettawala
·
2nd Place- Three Minute Oral
Presentation, Aero Senior Design: "FEA Analysis on the Colonist
Delivery Aircraft Hook Mount”, Presented by Calvin Lau
The 2021 SDPS team
presentation can be found in the following links:
https://www.csun.edu/sites/default/files/SDPS_Brochure_7May21_with_video_links.pdf
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VkjSwmTVtyE
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Fall 2019 - Spring 2020
SAE Aero Competition 2020
CSUN Aero senior design team participated in SAE
International Aero Design East Competition in Lakeland, Florida, March 6-8,
2020. The competition consists of 3 classes and the team participated in
Advance class which is the most challenging class. The SAE Aero Design
competition is to design, manufacture, and test a radio controlled aircraft
that can take off, land, and optimally meet the mission requirements. The
designed primary aircraft in this project is equipped to deliver 14 Habitat
Modules and 7 water bottles along with 3 CDAs each carrying 30 colonists. The
guiding philosophy of the design process centers on mission-specific
requirements. Integration of supply payload and CDAs was a cornerstone of this
philosophy. Closed-form solutions were used to optimize design variables
through iteration.
Details of
competition and regulations can be found in https://www.sae.org/attend/student-events/sae-aero-design-east.
CSUN Senior Design Project Showcase (SDPS 2020)
The primary goal for CSUN Aeronautics is to safely deliver the maximum
amount of colonist onto the surface of Mars while maximizing the total days of
habitability, based on the Final Flight Score. This aircraft sacrifices a
conventional structure for a payload oriented design driven by the SAE Aero
Competition- Advanced Class mission objectives. Aerodynamics, structures,
avionics, systems and integration, and manufacturing teams worked together to
design an aircraft capable of meeting and exceeding mission expectations.
Design constraints laid out by SAE Aero Design East Advanced Class include a
maximum wingspan of 11 feet, 750 watt power limiter and a maximum take-off
weight of 55 pounds. Final flight score is achieved by systematically releasing
first the payload, consisting of water bottles and nerf howlers, followed by
the autonomous gliders at specific altitudes onto a 50 foot radius target zone.
This hands on experience emphasizes the importance of blending together
teamwork, knowledge, and dedication.
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Fall 2018 - Spring 2019
Mission
Statement
“The Red Genesis mission is to
design and optimize an electric aircraft to transport colonists in autonomous
gliders while also dropping food, shelter, and other supplies within a target
area in order to make a terrain habitable.”
Design Philosophy
The design philosophy
seeks to minimize the operating empty weight to ensure the aircraft can house
the static payload, water supply, habitats, and the mounted Colonist Delivery
Craft. The project requires the abilities and concepts learned from the
foundational mechanical engineering program while necessitates experience
working with composites and machining. Autonomous Colonist Delivery Craft also
needs the understanding of GPS guidance systems, programming, and Mechatronics.
The team members must be committed to a strict budget and task deadlines.
SAE Aero Competition 2019
CSUN Aero
senior design team participated in SAE International Aero Design West
Competition in Van Nuys, CA, April 5-7, 2019. The competition consists of 3
classes and the team participated in Advance class which is the most
challenging class. CSUN Aero team got 4th place in Technical Design
Report and 4th place in Technical Presentation.
Details of
competition and regulations can be found in https://www.sae.org/attend/student-events/sae-aero-design-west/.
2019 SAE
Aero Design rules can be found at http://www.saeaerodesign.com/cdsweb/gen/DocumentResources.aspx.
CSUN Senior Design Project Showcase (SDPS 2019)
Project Description:
The objective of the 2018-2019 CSUN Aero Senior Design Project is to apply
engineering fundamentals, analysis skills, and software to an extensive design
project with an emphasis in aerospace engineering. Some of the main topics that
are addressed in the project are aerodynamics and aircraft design, aircraft
structure, stability, propulsion, and flight systems. In this
multi-disciplinary project, a new remote controlled aircraft is designed and
manufactured to deliver some humanitarian payloads, including water bottles,
nerf howlers, and autonomous gliders, into a targeted area. The aircraft is
designed to fit the design constraints set by the SAE Aero West Advanced Class
Competition, including Maximum 12 ft wingspan, 750 watt power limit for propulsion,
and maximum take-off weight of 55 lbs. The payloads are used to achieve a score
by systematically releasing them from specific altitudes onto targets. It is a
hands-on experience emphasizing the importance of educational values and
technology advances. For more info visit:
https://www.csun.edu/sites/default/files/sdps2019.pdf
