Relying on their past experiences from the 2021-2022 SAE Aero Design West and 2022-2023 and AIAA Design Build Fly competitions, AMAT prepared to participate and win in the 2023-2024 SAE Aero Design West challenge. The task wouldn't be an easy one. The aircraft that we had to assemble had to "carry as much weight as possible while maximizing wingspan." After much debate and theory-crafting, the team decided on a double-element design that would generate more lift than a conventional design but also minimize drag compared to a pure biplane configuration. 

The team spent the fall and winter of 2023 designing the plane and building a prototype. Following the successful flight of the prototype, several changes were made to the design to maximize performance and the materials for the full-scale craft were gathered. During April of 2024, the team worked 'round the clock to get their aircraft, dubbed the "Dragonfly", flight ready for the competition. By the end of the first week of April, the prototype was ready for a flight test. However, the tail boom snapped and threatened to cause massive delays to the construction. A metal rod was inserted into the bottom of the triangle tail boom for structural support and the plane was repaired. 

The day of competition finally came and AMAT headed out to Van Nuys California. Their final destination: a place called the Apollo XI field. Braving heavy rain and high winds, AMAT successfully performed a full flight and unloading to score points for the first time in more than five years. While the team was elated and wanted to try again, the high winds were too much for the Dragonfly and it was forced to go down after being blown toward Apollo XI field's parking lot. The team was forced to trudge through tall grass and weeds to recover their plane.

Despite the loss of the aircraft, AMAT remained hopeful that their successful flight had rewarded them with mission points. In the end, the team placed 8th out of 33 competing teams and gained a treasure trove of experience from the competition to be put to use for the next year!

Full video of the competition flight: