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Night Fury — Zips Drone Design’s custom-built eVTOL aircraft designed for autonomous wildfire response missions.

ÊÀ½ç¶Ä³Ç’s (ÊÀ½ç¶Ä³Ç) Zips Drone Design Team (ZDD) earned an impressive second-place finish in its first appearance at the Vertical Flight Society’s fifth annual Design-Build-Vertical Flight (DBVF) Student Competition. Held April 1–4, 2025, at SURVICE Engineering’s Applied Technology Operation in Churchville, Md., the international event featured 18 university teams challenged to design, build and fly electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft capable of supporting wildfire response missions.

ZDD’s nearly 25-lb aircraft — named Night Fury — performed with precision, navigating a defined course and accurately delivering a 12-water-bottle payload. The team finished ahead of major institutions including Auburn University, University of Maryland, Georgia Institute of Technology and Texas A&M University.

As part of the final mission, ZDD’s Night Fury dropped 12 water bottles to simulate aerial support for wildfire response efforts. Above is video footage from one of the team’s test flights, recorded remotely by Skitzki during field trials as the team practiced for Flight Mission 2.

The competition's mission profile required aircraft to complete fully autonomous vertical takeoffs, forward flight through simulated terrain, payload deliveries for fire suppression and autonomous returns. ZDD met the challenge with a comprehensive six-phase design and development process:

1. Research: Tested battery, rotor and propeller combinations to optimize a 15-minute flight duration using multirotor simulation tools
2. Design: Created CAD models in SolidWorks to meet competition specs for autonomy, stability and payload delivery
3. Simulation: Applied MATLAB and SolidWorks FEA for flight performance and structural validation; practiced with a free-flight simulator
4. Build: Fabricated 3D-printed and carbon-fiber components, integrating ESCs, GPS, cameras and other electronics
5. Integration: Finalized wireless communications, confirmed systems functionality and complied with FAA remote pilot certification
6. Autonomy: Developed mission execution through ArduPilot and Mission Planner for first-person view and full automation

Led by President Anthony Skitzki, Vice President Jordan Craft, Treasurer Matt Miklos and Pilot Walker Romshak, the team received guidance from advisors Dr. Manigandan Kannan, assistant professor of mechanical engineering, and Eric Pfiffner, engineering technician, in the College of Engineering and Polymer Science.

"The team, originally formed from a senior design project involving students in aerospace systems engineering and mechanical engineering in 2024, has now achieved remarkable success by securing second place in an international vertical take-off competition, outperforming prestigious institutions," shared Kannan. "This achievement is a testament to the strong academic foundation and experiential learning opportunities fostered within the Department of Mechanical Engineering. I am incredibly proud of this dynamic and energetic design team, which has quickly established itself as a sister team to the Akronauts Rocket Design Team, with several members contributing to both teams' success."

Zips Drone Design's Second Place Award from the 2025 VFS Design-Build-Vertical Flight Competition — an impressive debut on the international stage.

ZDD extends its sincere thanks to the Department of Mechanical Engineering and the College of Engineering and Polymer Science for providing space, funding and technical resources. The team is also grateful for the generous support of its sponsors, including Phalanx Robotics, Corsair Model Aircraft Club, Synergy Hobbies, Innov8tive Designs, Event 38 Unmanned Systems, Precision International and Engineering Consultants Group, whose contributions were vital to the development of Night Fury.

This international recognition highlights ÊÀ½ç¶Ä³Ç’s dedication to experiential learning and leadership in robotics, aerospace and unmanned systems. To follow future team developments, visit the .

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Media contact: Cristine Boyd, 330-972-6476 or cboyd@uakron.edu.