A model in the workshop with students working in the background

Design

The University of Kansas hosts one of the nation's oldest and most successful aircraft design programs. Started by Prof. Jan Roskam in 1967, the program started winning awards from the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) in 1969. Today, KUAE students have claimed more first, second, and third place aerospace design awards than any other university in the world.

Aerospace Design

The University of Kansas hosts one of the nation's oldest and most successful aircraft design programs. Started by Prof. Jan Roskam in 1967, the program started winning awards from the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) in 1969. Today, KU Aerospace Engineering students have claimed more first, second, and third place aerospace design awards than any other university in the world. KUAE graduates are typically highly sought after and populate the advanced design groups in companies like Boeing, Lockheed, Northrop-Grumman, Textron Aviation Inc., Learjet and many others.

KUAE prominence in aerospace design is evidenced in part by student success in external international design competitions, in which our students have performed and continue to perform well. For instance, in 2017 our students placed first in the 2017 AIAA Aircraft Design Competition, first in the 2017 AIAA Engine Design Competition, and first in the AIAA 2016/2017 Space Design Competition. KUAE students continue to add the program’s unmatched success in winning and placing in design competitions, across categories.

Faculty

Applied Design Research

Design is by its very nature an interdisciplinary activity, and thus our applied design research necessarily interacts with research teams in aerodynamics, propulsion, unmanned aerial systems (UASs), structures and materials, and space. For example, the Adaptive Aerostructures Laboratory supports the design, research development and flight testing of a wide variety of UASs which are 3m and smaller ranging in flight speed from hover through hypersonic. The lab has pioneered in aircraft that convert from hover-mode flight to missile-mode flight by pitching through 90° rotation angles. We also build the world's fastest quad-copters known as QuadRockets, which can reach up to 130mph.

Outstanding KUAE Student Performance 2012-20

 

  1. Second Place Winner, AIAA 2020, Graduate Team Missile Design
  2. Third Place Winner, AIAA 2020, International Graduate Team Missile Design
  3. Third Place Winner, AIAA 2020, International Graduate Team Aircraft Design
  4. Second Place Winner, AIAA 2019, Undergraduate Individual Aircraft Design
  5. Third Place Winner, AIAA 2019, Undergraduate Individual Aircraft Design
  6. Third Place Winner, AIAA 2019, Graduate Team Engine Design
  7. First Place Winner, AIAA 2018, Undergraduate Individual Space Transportation Design
  8. Second Place Winner, AIAA 2018, Undergraduate Individual Aircraft Design
  9. Third Place Winner, AIAA 2018, Undergraduate Individual Aircraft Design
  10. First Place Winner, AIAA 2017 International Graduate Team Aircraft Design Competition
  11. First Place Winner, AIAA 2017 Undergraduate Jet Engine Design
  12. First Place Winner, AIAA 2017 Undergraduate Spacecraft Design
  13. First Place Winner, AIAA 2016 International Undergraduate Team Aircraft Design Competition
  14. First Place Winner, AIAA 2016 Undergraduate Team Engine Design
  15. Top Three, NASA/NIA Revolutionary Aerospace Systems Concepts-Academic Linkage, 2016
  16. First Place Winner, AIAA 2015 International Graduate Team Aircraft Design Competition
  17. First Place Winner, AIAA 2014 International Undergraduate Team Aircraft Design Competition
  18. Third Place Winner, AIAA 2014 International Undergraduate Team Aircraft Design Competition
  19. First Place Winner, AIAA 2014 International Graduate Team Aircraft Design Competition
  20. First Place Winner, AIAA/ASME International Gas Turbine Institute International 2014 Team Engine Design Competition
  21. Second Place Winner, AIAA 2014 International Graduate Team Aircraft Design Competition
  22. Second Place Winner, AIAA 2014 International Undergraduate Individual Aircraft Design Competition
  23. Second Place Winner, AIAA/ASME International Gas Turbine Institute International 2014 Team Engine Design Competition
  24. Third Place Winner, AIAA 2014 International Undergraduate Individual Aircraft Design Competition
  25. Third Place Winner, AIAA 2014 Undergraduate Aircraft Team Design Competition
  26. Third Place Winner, AIAA 2014 Team Space Transportation Design Competition
  27. Second Place Winner, U.S. Department of Energy Inaugural Wind Energy Competition, 2014
  28. First Place Winner, AIAA 2013 International Undergraduate Aircraft Design Competition
  29. First Place Winner, AIAA 2013 Graduate Team Aircraft Design Competition
  30. Second Place Winner, AIAA 2013 Undergraduate Aircraft Design Competition
  31. Second Place Winner, AIAA 2013 Undergraduate Team Space Transport Design Competition
  32. Second Place Winner, 2013 AIAA/IGTI Team Engine Competition
  33. Third Place Winner, AIAA 2013 Undergraduate Aircraft Design Competition
  34. First Place Winner, AIAA 2012 Undergraduate Aircraft Design Competition
  35. First Place Winner, 2012 AIAA/ASME/SAE/ASEE Joint Propulsion Conference
  36. Second Place Winner, AIAA 2012 International Undergraduate Aircraft Design Competition
  37. Third Place Winner, AIAA 2012 Undergraduate Aircraft Design Competition
  38. Third Place Winner, 2012 AIAA/ASME/SAE/ASEE Joint Propulsion Conference

Competition details and team information.