A team of 12 students from Trine University designed and built a radio controlled airplane such that they can participate in AIAA DBF 2018 competition. The team will consists of eight seniors in mechanical engineering and four underclassman in mechanical engineering. This hands-on opportunity supports several goals for the individuals involved. For the underclassmen it is hoped that the students will gain an increased interest in aerospace programs and, therefore, will improve their likelihood of completing their STEM degree. For the seniors and the underclassmen, it is hoped that because the students had an authentic, hands-on NASA-related engineering experience that it will better prepare them for STEM employment upon graduation.