Nathi Magubane, Penn Today
On a pre-dawn morning in mid-February, two dozen students from Penn huddled together on a New Jersey airfield, anxiously awaiting a pivotal test flight. Breath visible in the chilled air, their nerves and excitement merged as their largest-ever model airplane began its takeoff roll, gracefully lifting off and soaring into the winter sky.
“It was pretty cold, but we had so many other things on our minds that day,” says Xiangyu Chen, a fourth-year student in the School of Engineering and Applied Science from Grand Rapids, Michigan.
For more than 10 years, Penn Aerial Robotics (Penn AiR), a student-run club, has been carefully crafting electric aircraft, improving their performance and maneuverability.
Now, Chen, the club’s president, and his team wait to see if their flying machines can pass muster at the SAE Aero Design 2025 in Los Angeles, running from April 4 to 6.
At this stage, there’s still plenty to finalize. “We’re kind of just racing against time, right?” Chen chuckles. “But overall, everyone’s very excited. We’re anticipating doing pretty well—we’re just a little stressed because of all the logistics.”