Air Cargo Challenge


The Air Cargo Challenge is an aeronautical engineering competition that is held in Europe every two years.
This competition was held for the first time in 2003 and it was founded by a group of Aerospace students in Lisbon. The competition is primarily directed to aeronautical and aerospace engineering students, similarly to the north-American Design/Build/Fly.
The main objective is to design and build a radio-controlled aircraft that is able to fly with the highest possible payload according with the rules established in the competition regulations, which vary in each edition.
The team's score is not only given by the performance demonstrated in the flight competition part, but also by the technical quality of the project, through the evaluation of the design report and drawings.
The event´s first edition was organized by the APAE: Associação Portuguesa de Aeronáutica e Espaço, an aerospace group from Instituto Superior Técnico. From the ACC'07 onwards, the competition grew to an international level under the umbrella of EUROAVIA, the European Association of Aerospace Students, and the winning team got the possibility of organizing the next edition. The ACC of 2011 was held in the University of Stuttgart, August 2011, organized by the AKAModell Stuttgart together with the EUROAVIA Stuttgart. The Universidade da Beira Interior was the winner of this edition, thus it took place in Portugal'. Again, the Team from Stuttgart won this Edition, and got the organization responsibility. The last edition of ACC took place in 2017 in Zagreb.
The last competition started end of 2018. The competition took place in Stuttgart 12.-17.August 2019.
The next competition will be held in Munich in the summer of 2021.

Competition results

2003 - Organization: APAE, Lisbon

PlaceTeamUniversityCountry/City
1stUBI 2University of Beira Interior Covilhã
2ndFlamingoUniversity of Minho Guimarães
3rdBelugaUniversity of Beira Interior Covilhã

2005 - Organization: APAE, Lisbon

PlaceTeamUniversityCountry/City
1stÍcaroInstituto Superior Técnico e University of Coimbra Lisboa/Coimbra
2ndFly ByFaculdade de Engenharia da Universidade do Porto Porto
3rdPegasusUniversity of Beira Interior Covilhã

2007 - Organization: [Instituto Superior Técnico], [Lisbon]

PlaceTeamUniversityCountry
1stPEGASUS IIUniversity of Beira Interior
2ndAkamodell StuttgartUniversity of Stuttgart
3rdBlei-EnteEuroavia Muenchen
4thLead BaronsDelft University of Technology
5thESTG CargoPolytechnic Institute of Leiria
6thTrencalosPolytechnic University of Catalonia
7thUBI2 - SkunkWorksUniversity of Beira Interior
8thUoPatras ATLASUniversity of Patras
9thDe vliegende HollanderDelft University of Technology
10thFLY@UMINHO'07University of Minho

2009 - Organization: [University of Beira Interior], [Covilhã]

PlaceTeamUniversityCountry
1stAkamodell StuttgartUniversity of Stuttgart
2ndTU HeavyTechnical University of Munich
3rdESTG Cargo2Polytechnic Institute of Leiria
4thSonic KidsPolitehnica University of Bucharest
5thLusoflyPortuguese Air Force Academy
6thUoP Atlas IIHellenic Air Force Academy
7thAnatolian CraftMiddle East Technical University
8thWhat's up YawHogeschool van Amsterdam
9thFLY@UMINHO'09University of Minho
10thTrancalosPolytechnic University of Catalonia
11thINFINITeamPolitehnica University of Bucharest
12thAir cargo ABC 2009Instituto Superior Técnico
13thUcariMiddle East Technical University
14thVolo Ergo SumUniversity of Beira Interior
15thPisa Cargo ProjectUniversity of Pisa
16thBrutusUniversity of Porto
17thUasas
18thCALClube de Aeromodelismo de Lisboa
19thEquipa_0Instituto Superior Técnico
20thChicken WingsUniversity of BelgradeSerbia
21stCéfiroUniversity of León
22ndAero Swansea 09Swansea University

2011 - Organization: [University of Stuttgart], [Stuttgart]

PlaceTeamUniversityCountry
1stUBI - PortugalUniversity of Beira Interior
2ndTU ElevenTechnical University of Munich
3rdTsinghua UniversityTsinghua University
4thStudent WingsPolitehnica University of Bucharest
5thTeam K.U.LeuvenKU Leuven
6thPASSAROLA TeamInstituto Superior Técnico
7thNymph NoirMiddle East Technical University
8thTrencalos TeamPolytechnic University of Catalonia
9thAnatolian Craft - AselsanMiddle East Technical University
10thEUROAVIA NtuaNational Technical University of Athens
11thNymph RougeMiddle East Technical University
12thHigh FlyersPolitehnica University of Bucharest
13thIPL TeamPolytechnic Institute of Leiria
14thAir FEUPUniversity of Porto
15thGryphus TeamUniversity of Aveiro
16thUoPatras ATLAS IIIUniversity of Patras
17thEUROAVIA RzeszowUniversity of Rzeszów
18thHUSZ Black EagleUniversity of Zagreb
19thSU Team EryrSwansea University
20thBialystok MiSIE teamUniversity of Białystok
21stLuso SPADInstituto Superior de Engenharia de Lisboa

2013 - Organization: [University of Beira Interior], [Lisbon]

PlaceTeamUniversityCountry
1stAKAModell Stuttgart e.V.University of Stuttgart
2ndTsinghua UniversityTsinghua University
3rdBeihang Aeromodelling Team 1Beihang University
4thHUSZ VultureUniversity of Zagreb
5thBeihang Aeromodelling Team 1Beihang University
6thHigh FlyersSilesian University of Technology
7thEESC-USP JuliettUniversity of São Paulo
8thPHOENIXPolitehnica University of Bucharest
9thEUROAVIA Athens – Hermes 2University of Athens
10thPodlasie TigersBialystok University of Technology
11thUoP ATLAS IIIBUniversity of Patras
12thANATOLIAN CRAFTMiddle East Technical University
13thEUROAVIA RzeszówUniversity of Rzeszów
14thUoP ATLAS IVUniversity of Patras
15thTrencalòs TeamPolytechnic University of Catalonia
16thTeam KU LeuvenKU Leuven
17thIPLeiria AirCargoPolytechnic Institute of Leiria
18thLUSITÂNIA TeamUBI, IST, UNL
19thHERCULESInstituto Superior Técnico
20thGryphus IIUniversity of Aveiro
21stAngry BirdCairo University

2015 - Organization: [University of Stuttgart], [Stuttgart]

PlaceTeamUniversityCountry
1stEUROAVIA ZagrebUniversity of Zagreb
2ndBorn TU LiftTechnical University of Munich
3rdEUROLIFTERRzeszów University of Technology
4thAeroUD-METUniversity of Udine
5thAERO@UBIUniversity of Beira Interior
6thAIRTsinghua University
7thPISA Air Cargo TeamUniversity of Pisa
8thATLAS TEAM UPATUniversity of Patras
9thNPU INNOVATIONNorthwestern Polytechnical University
10thUPC VenturiPolytechnic University of Catalonia
11thTeam KU LeuvenKU Leuven
12thOlisipoInstituto Superior Técnico
13thStudencki Klub Modelarski Wojskowej Akademii TechnicznejMilitary University of Technology in Warsaw
14thBUT Chicken WingsBrno University of TechnologyCzech Republic
15thHigh FlyersSilesian University of Technology
16thThe LiftersRzeszów University of Technology
17thTransylAVIATechnical University of Cluj-Napoca
18thPoznan Aero DesignPoznań University of Technology
19thTrencalòs TeamPolytechnic University of Catalonia
20thPodlasie TigersBialystok University of Technology
21stOwl Tamers Aero Design TeamMiddle East Technical University
22ndSKYLINEUniversity of BelgradeSerbia
23rdPhoeniXUniversity of Porto

2017 - Organization: [University of Zagreb], [Zagreb]

PlaceTeamUniversityCountry
1stAKAModell Stuttgart e.V.University of Stuttgart
2ndFly HardTechnical University of Munich
3rdBorn TU Lift ReloadedTechnical University of Munich
4thAeroUD-METUniversity of Udine
5thAIRTsinghua University
6thNPU INNOVATIONNorthwestern Polytechnical University
7thAKA ClassicsUniversity of Stuttgart
8thJetStreamWroclaw University of Science and Technology
9thIcarus PolitoPolitecnico di Torino
10thUPC VenturiPolytechnic University of Catalonia
11thThe LiftersRzeszow University of Technology
12thAristotele Space & Aeronautics TeamThessaloniki Faculty of Engineering
13thChicken WingsBrno University of TechnologyCzech Republic
14thHermes TeamUniversity of Athens
15thAerotéc - LisbonInstituto Superior Técnico
16thATLAS Team UPATUniversity of Patras
17thLKNBialystok University of Technology
18thATA TeamIstanbul Technical University
19thKovanIstanbul Technical University
20thAERO@UBI_PVG - PortugalUniversity of Beira Interior
21stPHOENIX TeamPolitehnica University of Bucharest
22ndThe WingineersKatholieke Universiteit Leuven
23rdAERO@UBI_MARSUniversity of Beira Interior
24ndTrencalòs TeamPolytechnic University of Catalonia
25ndVALCAN PROJECTUniversitat Politechnica de València
26ndBuzz LightyearUniversity of Science and Technology Zewail City
27ndTransylAVIATechnical University of Cluj-Napoca
28ndFlightmareUniversity of Science and Technology Zewail City

2019 - Organization: [University of Stuttgart], [Stuttgart]

PlaceTeamUniversityCountry
1stFly Harder Technical University of Munich
2nd… and the BeastUniversity of Udine
3rdThe Beauty …University of Udine
4thTHU AIRTsinghua University
5thAERO@UbiUniversity of Beira Interior
6thICARUS PoliToPolitecnico di Torino
7thChicken WingsBrno University of TechnologyCzech Republic
8thLift UpUniversity of Padova
9thEUROAVIA RZESZOWRzeszow University of Technology
10thA.S.A.T.-AuroraAristotle University of Thessaloniki
11thACC - LisboaUniversity of Lisboa
12thNepheleAristotle University of Thessaloniki
13thJetstreamWroclaw University of Science and Technology
14thHUSZ JaegerUniversity of Zagreb
15thKOVANIstanbul Technical University
16thTrencalòs TeamPolytechnic University of Catalonia
17thTeam Vexilium PisaUniversity of Pisa
18thAlbatross TampereTampere University
19thBEOAVIAUniversity of Belgrade
20thROTAIstanbul Technical University
21stNPU-InnovationNorthwestern Polytechnical University
22ndATAIstanbul Technical University
23rdTitan TeamPolitehnica University of Bucharest
24ndLocreum ProjectUniversity of Cádiz
25ndUPC VenturiPolytechnic University of Catalonia
26ndXtra2Polytechnic University of Valencia
27ndHERMESNational Technical University of Athens

Statistics

Number of participated Teams per Country (2007-2019)

PlaceCountryNumber of participated Teams
1stPortugal31
2ndPoland17
3rdGreece14
3rdSpain14
5thGermany12
6thTurkey12
7thChina10
7thItaly10
9thRomania9
10thBelgium4
11thEgypt3
11thNetherlands3
11thCroatia3
11thCzech Republic3
12thSerbia2
12thUnited Kingdom2
13thBrazil1
13thFinland1

Medal table (2007-2019)