The VANTUS aircraft modeling team debuts a new model in the international competition Air Cargo Challenge 2024

CIRIO I managed to pass the technical tests and achieved a successful flight

The student aeromodelling team of the University of Seville, VANTUS AeroDesign Team, born at the Higher Technical School of Engineering in the 2021-22 academic year, presented its new model, CIRIO I, a cargo fixed-wing drone designed and built entirely by the team members. This new model has taken them to the Air Cargo Challenge 2024 competition that was held in the German city of Aachen between July 9 and 13.

This competition represents a huge technical leap for the team compared to the last edition, the XtraChallenge 2023, held in Valencia. “It is a paradigm shift in the magnitude and impact of the VANTUS project, since the team will compete with universities not only from Europe but from the rest of the world, among which teams from China, the United States and India stand out, which have a long history” explains Emilio Chacón Revilla, Team Leader of the team.

The presentation ceremony of CIRIO I was attended by Carmen Gallardo Cruz, Vice-Rector of Students of the University of Seville, Andrés Sáez Pérez, Director of the Higher Technical School of Engineering of the University of Seville and Sergio Esteban Roncero, Delegate of the Rector for the Promotion of Technological Transfer in Teaching Innovation, as well as the components of the VANTUS AeroDesign Team, which is currently made up of almost 40 engineering students from the University of Seville. 

This association of students from the University of Seville participated last year in the championship organized by the Polytechnic University of Valencia with an aircraft of its own complete design, the JALEO I, in honor of the Andalusian writer Federico García Lorca, finishing sixth in the general classification. and also obtaining two awards. In this edition, they have named their design CIRIO I, inspired by the land where it was born as it is a present and very significant element of a multitude of Andalusian festivals and traditions.

The Air Cargo Challenge is its first international competition for the team, in which the new CIRIO I model has competed against teams from universities both in Europe and from all over the world. With this new version, improved in both technical and aerodynamic aspects, the aim is to improve the marks of the last edition, as well as learn and enjoy the student and academic environment that comes with participating in competitions of this type, which offer the possibility of meeting others. students with common interests and concerns.

VANTUS at the Air Cargo Challenge

At the Air Cargo Challenge, the first challenge that the VANTUS team had to face was the technical inspection of the CIRIO I aircraft. It had to comply with rigorous safety measures to be able to fly without compromising the integrity of the event. After more than 30 minutes of preparation, in which they meticulously reviewed every detail, they successfully passed the inspection. The plane was ready to compete without risks.

During the afternoon of the first day, they performed their first test flight. Although this round did not count, it was crucial for the pilot to become familiar with the controls of the aircraft. However, a sharp turn ended in an accident, and the plane crashed to the ground. The team got to work to repair it and have it ready for the next day.

The second day was an even bigger challenge. After a night of intense repairs, they managed to have CIRIO I ready in just 16 hours. However, they had to pass inspection again before flying again. The pressure was high, but their determination and effort kept them in the competition.

During the third and final day of competition, the weather conditions worsened considerably. Heavy rain and winds forced some flights to be delayed and affected the overall development of the event. Despite these adversities, the VANTUS team managed to make a successful flight, thus completing all of the competition rounds. Eventually, the entire round was completed and the competition came to an end.

The next night, the final results were shared. VANTUS was positioned in 15th place out of 30 teams, an excellent position since, not only were they above half of the participating teams, but they were positioned as the second best Spanish team, only surpassed by the plane built at the University Valencia Polytechnic.  

The skill of the pilot, the high technical level and the cooperation between the team members contributed to this achievement. It is important to highlight that, being its first international competition and only two years old, VANTUS established itself as one of the best university aeromodelling teams in all of Spain.

Chacón Revilla wanted to thank at the event the collaboration of the University of Seville and, in particular, its Higher Technical School of Engineering, stating that "along with the effort and work of the team members, they are responsible for VANTUS being able to attend the Air Cargo Challenge 2024 event with a model like CIRIO I. Thanks to your continuous support, we have been able to compete at the same level as some of the most prestigious universities in the world.” 

A young team with a long projection 

The VANTUS team, acronym for Unmanned Aerial Vehicle of the University of Seville, is a university organization based at the Higher Technical School of Engineering of Seville, made up of a group of students with the objective of participating in international aeromodelling competitions by designing, building and flying light radio-controlled aircraft or RPAS.

VANTUS arises in response to a need of the students of the Bachelor's and Master's Degree in Aeronautical Engineering at the Higher Technical School of Engineering of the University of Seville. At the School, there are numerous research projects carried out by the teaching staff, in which the students participate to develop their TFGs and TFMs, as well as other competition teams focused on the world of motorsport, such as USRacing and ARUS. However, despite these possibilities, the vast majority of students in the area of ​​aerospace engineering had few opportunities to put into practice their knowledge in aircraft design, aerodynamics, flight mechanics and other disciplines intrinsic to the aeronautical world. What's more, the opportunities to physically and first-hand know the complete engineering process behind the aircraft on which so much theoretical training is provided are not common.

VANTUS has allowed these students to get involved in a new challenge for those who want to be involved in a parallel project to their studies, and are looking for a way to put into practice the high theoretical load of the training offered by the ETSi as well as pour all their ambition , motivation and creativity, in a goal as exciting as creating your own competition aircraft.

Air Cargo Challenge

The Air Cargo Challenge (ACC) was originally initiated by the APAE (Portuguese Aeronautics and Space Association) in 2003, inspired by North American university competitions (Design-Build-Fly). Since then, the competition has been held every two years. Starting in 2007, the door was opened for not only European universities to participate, but also from other countries around the world.

Competitors must design and manufacture an aircraft capable of lifting the greatest possible weight. Additionally, the aircraft must be able to take off in less than 61 meters, make at least one circle in the air around the flight field, and land safely.

This competition offers students and university members the opportunity to design, build and fly a radio-controlled aircraft to compete with teams from different European universities.

The winning team is in charge of organizing the next edition at their headquarters, so they have the opportunity to organize a great event. Each edition has its own rules, however, the core of the competition remains to raise the highest payload possible.

The competition is divided into two large blocks: static tests and flight tests. Static tests consist of the delivery of a project report, plans and a presentation while flight tests consist of flying the aircraft through a circuit, landing the aircraft safely. In addition, the quality of the landing and the speed with which the circuit is traveled are also important in this block.