“BUT! BUT!” chanted the nine-member student delegation from Brno as they stepped onto the stage in Fort Worth, Texas, to receive the award for first place. The Chicken Wings team from the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering at Brno University of Technology (BUT) dominated this year’s SAE Aero Design West 2026 competition in the “Micro” category, securing a historic victory against 21 teams from around the world. The students returned to the Czech Republic this week.
SAE Aero Design is considered one of the world’s most prestigious student aerospace engineering competitions. Organized annually by SAE International in cooperation with Lockheed Martin, the event is designed to expose students to real-world aerospace engineering challenges. This year’s competition took place from April 17 to 19 in Texas, USA, bringing together 73 teams across three categories: Regular, Advanced, and Micro.
The BUT students competed in the “Micro” category. Their task was to design and build a radio-controlled aircraft capable of taking off within less than three meters while carrying liquid water and meeting strict requirements for minimized wingspan and a maximum propulsion output of 450 watts. The challenge demanded careful balancing of low weight, high payload capacity, and aircraft efficiency.
“SAE Aero Design is not just about flying. Teams must complete the entire aircraft development process — from the initial concept and construction to technical documentation and presentation before an expert jury. Students experience situations commonly faced by professional aerospace engineers,” explain the competition organizers.
This year, the Brno-based team built on last year’s success, when they returned from the United States with a bronze medal. This time, however, the students aimed even higher — and succeeded in claiming victory. Dozens of team members spent months developing the competition aircraft, while a selected nine-member delegation ultimately traveled to the USA.
“It is always difficult to decide who will attend the competition. We mainly consider each member’s level of commitment to the team. Competitions in the USA are both logistically and financially demanding, and participation would not be possible without the support of the faculty and our partners,” said team captain and FME student Filip Zubaľ.
After returning from the competition, he did not hide his excitement and emotions. “I am proud of our team and every single member who contributed to achieving such an incredible success. The journey was far from easy. We had to overcome many obstacles, but together we managed to handle them, and I firmly believe we all learned something new along the way. We want to keep pushing boundaries, developing new skills, meeting new people, and above all, enjoying the experience,” Filip Zubaľ added.
The Chicken Wings student team has operated under the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering at BUT since 2014. The team focuses on the development, design, and construction of unique radio-controlled aircraft for international competitions. Just one year after its establishment, the students participated in their first international event — Air Cargo Challenge 2015 in Stuttgart, Germany. Since then, they have regularly represented both Brno and the Czech Republic at prestigious competitions around the world.
This year’s triumph in Texas confirms that Brno engineering students rank among the world’s elite in university-level aerospace engineering. The gold medal from SAE Aero Design is also the greatest success the Chicken Wings team has achieved in this competition so far.
We would like to thank all sponsors for supporting the Chicken Wings team, especially PBS Group.