David Sura
01 / Flight hardware

Autonomous
Payload Drone.

A design-review record for a payload-retrieval UAV: mission constraints, preliminary calculator sizing, public-safe integration evidence, and a full CAD assembly.

CAD / preliminary sizingCompetition-derived requirements
Mission envelope

Recovery task drives the system.

The competition required three 15-minute slots: 5 minutes for setup and 10 minutes of flight. The package-recovery mission is to fly to a bucket, pick it up, and return it. The bucket is a 1–2 kg requirement and may not be dropped from more than 6 ft.

3 × 15 minRequirement / competition slot structure

Each slot permits 5 minutes setup and 10 minutes flight.

1–2 kgRequirement / bucket mass

Payload must be retrieved and returned, with controlled release geometry.

+25%Requirement / applicable autonomy bonus

Autonomous completion earns a bonus for applicable missions.

Environmental reference: Mojave density altitude reached 6,500 ft and gusts reached 14 kt in 2024. Judges value process, analysis, manufacturability, structural/aerodynamic innovation, autonomy, and payload-system design.
Team & field evidence

The aircraft beyond the CAD viewport.

The team photo and safety-demonstration recording connect the digital assembly to the people, ground-control equipment, and supervised outdoor operation around the physical platform.

Student drone team standing with the aircraft and Chicago skyline behind them
Student design team and flight platformOutdoor team photograph in Chicago. The aircraft and ground-control transmitter are shown with the students who supported the project.
47-second outdoor safety demonstrationPhysical flight footage with the ground-control interface and telemetry shown alongside the aircraft. This is field evidence, not a payload-recovery performance claim.
Interactive CAD evidence

Full assembly, inspectable by subsystem.

Drag to orbit, scroll/pinch to zoom. The source assembly contains 996 nodes and 932 meshes. Filters expose the named CAD evidence by its design-review category; unmatched inherited assembly items remain visible in the full view only.

LOADING FULL FLIGHT ASSEMBLY
SELF-ROTATING WHEN NOT DRAGGED · FILTERS ARE NAME-BASED REVIEW AIDS · CAD EVIDENCE, NOT TEST VALIDATION
Carbon structure

Plates, rods & arm holders

Function: carry distributed airframe loads and isolate subsystems. Intent: 12 × 12 × 1/8 carbon-fiber plate, rod, and clamp architecture. Interface / risk: clamp preload and plate-hole stress concentration need verification.

Propulsion

Motor clamps & propellers

Function: transfer thrust into the frame. Intent: top/bottom motor clamps locate each powertrain. Interface / risk: clamp alignment, fastener retention, and ESC thermal routing remain critical.

Landing & payload

Legs, release & protected volume

Function: protect electronics while accommodating recovery hardware. Intent: modular landing-leg elements and quick-release integration. Interface / risk: ground clearance and payload-release clearance must be tested.

Preliminary eCalc sizing snapshot

Useful estimate, not a flight result.

Every value in this section is an estimated calculator output with approximately ±15% calculator accuracy. The images and model do not constitute flight testing.

3,944 gEstimated / all-up mass snapshot

6S3P battery: 299.7 Wh, 13.5 Ah, 1,764 g. Added payload in this snapshot: 3,167 g.

2.1:1Estimated / thrust-to-weight

EMAX ECO II 3115-500 with 11 × 7.5 three-blade propeller; 81.1% estimated hover efficiency.

17.6 minEstimated / hover endurance

14.4 min mixed, 6.1 min minimum; 4.95 mi estimated range. Hover / maximum current: 39.04 A / 113.11 A.

eCalc preliminary sizing summary
Calculator output — estimated with ±15% calculator accuracy. Maximum estimated motor temperature: 68 °C.
eCalc motor characteristic plot
Motor characteristic — estimated calculator output, not flight test.
eCalc range estimator
Estimated range evidence — calculator output with ±15% calculator accuracy.
Sanitized trade studies

Selections made legible.

Reconstructed public-safe comparison results. Scores are decision-study scores, not performance measurements.

Study Leading comparison Score Criteria / note
Motor EMAX ECO II 3115 / T-Motor VELOX V3115 48 / 44 Cost, weight, KV, maximum power
Propeller HQProp MacroQuad 11 × 7.5 × 3 / folding alternatives 58 / 54 Cost, weight, thrust-to-weight, specific thrust. Snapshot: 2.1 T/W and 4.64 g/W (estimated).
60 A ESC Hobbywing 60A / Flycolor X-Cross 60A 67 / 63 Cost, interfaces, implementation/documentation, weight, size
Jetson battery Samsung 18650 / next LiPo alternative 88 / 64 Cost, volume, Wh, capacity, weight, C rating
Main battery Li-Ion #2 high score / “Selected” marker on Li-Ion #1 76 / — Decision requiring reconciliation; no winner is named.
Public-safe integration record

System summary, without procurement exposure.

Powertrain

6 EMAX ECO II 3115 motors; 6 Hobbywing XRotor H60A ESCs; HQProp MacroQuad 11 × 7.5 × 3 props.

Structure & payload

12 × 12 × 1/8 carbon-fiber plate; battery mounting, power monitoring, quick-release hardware, wiring and antennas.

Controls & compute

Cube Orange flight-control / RFD / Here4 package and Jetson Orin Nano. This is a component integration summary only; no prices, vendor data, links, or purchase records are published.