Mike Thorburn was excited about the idea of traveling to Texas with some of his Cal State LA students to compete in a 3D-Printed Aircraft Competition. The University of Texas at Arlington competition has a formidable reputation among college competitors and would have served as the perfect venue for Thorburn’s College of Engineering, Computer Science, and Technology (ECST) seniors to challenge themselves against top competition from around the country.

Upon second thought, Thorburn realized the funding for airfare and lodging in Texas would be better used if Cal State LA started its own competition that would allow more students to participate. So, flying off to Texas for an aircraft competition was nixed, and Thorburn, the ECST Capstone Senior Design Program director, remained grounded in Los Angeles to organize a new competition.

That was in 2022, and ECST is now set to host its third CSU 3D-Printed Fixed-Wing Aircraft Competition (C-3DPAC) at University Stadium and Jesse Owens Track at 9 a.m. on Saturday, May 31. A week later, on Saturday, June 7, Cal State LA will host the second CSU California Unmanned Aerial Systems Competition (C-UASC) at the Mojave Air and Space Port (MASP) at Rutan Field in Mojave.

Although still in their infancy, the events have been compared favorably by participating universities to more established competitions.

“We have a lot of teams coming back,” said Thorburn. “I think that speaks volumes about our event. Everyone has a good time, and it’s been great for the students. We have a pretty good return rate.”

This year’s C-3DPAC field will consist of 20 teams from 11 universities and colleges. It will include four teams each from Cal State LA and CSU Bakersfield; two each from Bakersfield College, Norco College, and El Centro de Enseñanza Técnica y Superior from Tijuana, Mexico; and one each from Cal Poly, CSU Fullerton, East Los Angeles College, San Diego State, Stanford, and UC Irvine.

By comparison, eight teams from five institutions competed during the first year.

Thorburn has done a good job promoting the events through social media, but he has also had the support of sister schools from the California State University system, which find that driving to Cal State LA to compete is far more cost-effective than traveling to other states.

“This is a grassroots event,” Thorburn said. “I’ve always had a lot of help, and we have definitely improved each year.”

The competition consists of flying the student-designed 3D-printed aircraft up to 35 feet high for 8 seconds before gliding them back safely to the ground. There is also a separate design innovation competition.

Cal State LA’s senior engineering students have been working on the project since the fall semester.

Last spring, Thorburn co-organized the C-UASC event at the urging of Tim Reid, former CEO of the MASP. Reid wanted a competition in the desert, partly to introduce students to engineering job opportunities at MASP.

The competition challenges students to design, integrate, and demonstrate an unmanned aerial system capable of autonomous flight, navigation, and execution of a specific set of tasks. The vehicles may be fixed-wing, quadcopters, or other aero drones.

“There was a design phase, a building phase, a testing phase, and then you repeat the cycle,” said Charlie Sanches, who was a member of one Cal State LA’s C-UASC teams. “The program gave us a good idea of what engineering work is like.”

There was plenty of interest in last year’s inaugural C-UASC competition, but test crashes and other unforeseen circumstances limited the field to one team each from Cal State LA, San Diego State, and the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay

This year’s competition will feature two teams from Cal State LA, and one each from Cal Poly, CSU Bakersfield, CSU Channel Islands, CSU Northridge, San Diego State, Cornell University, Mississippi State University, and IIT Bombay.

The competition continues to receive support from some of the aerospace industry’s top companies. Northrop Grumman will set up a recruiting table and bring a plane for the students to inspect.

Other companies providing support include Scaled Composites LLC, Lockheed Martin, and MASP.

Photo: Students prepare their unmanned aerial system craft at the inaugural C-UASC competition in 2024. The event returns to the Mojave Air and Space Port at Rutan Field in Mojave on June 7, with Cal State LA again hosting.
(Credit: J. Emilio Flores/Cal State LA)

# # #

California State University, Los Angeles is the premier comprehensive public university in the heart of Los Angeles. Cal State LA is ranked number one in the United States for the upward mobility of its students. Cal State LA is dedicated to engagement, service, and the public good, offering nationally recognized programs in science, the arts, business, criminal justice, engineering, nursing, education, and the humanities. Founded in 1947, the University serves more than 24,000 students and has more than 250,000 distinguished alumni.