Liverpool’s CDIO challenge will task teams of students to create an aerobatic aircraft to compete in a digital ‘Red Bull Air Race’ around the city of Liverpool. Entrants will design and ‘build’ their aircraft using integrated simulation tools, before testing them in Liverpool’s state-of-the-art HELIFLIGHT-R flight simulator with a professional test pilot. 

Each multi-disciplinary team must address a range aircraft performance challenges to complete the urban racecourse in the shortest time possible while minimising race penalties and ensuring the aircraft does not exceed structural limits. Mirroring industrial practice, each team member will have a clearly defined role covering themes of aerodynamics, propulsion, wing structures, flight dynamics and flight control. Operating within technical constraints and a finite development budget, teams must make and justify engineering trade-offs to produce the best possible aircraft. Teams have access to university facilities like wind tunnels, flight simulators and propeller thrust and wing structure testing rigs for prototyping and analysis of their designs.

We invite students from all disciplines of engineering to take part, not just aerospace students. 

We'll support you to learn about the important engineering concepts if you are unfamiliar or need a refresher.