Events and competitions

Racing
since 2019

We have taken part in four editions of the Air Cargo Challenge: 2019, 2022, 2024 and 2026.

The LiftUP team in the crowd at the 2026 Air Cargo Challenge

Air Cargo Challenge 2026 · Stuttgart

5th of 34. Our record

From 30 June to 3 July we took Midnight to Stuttgart. Technical presentations and inspections at the University of Stuttgart campus in Vaihingen, flight rounds at the MFV Böblingen airfield: the winner flies the most payload with the most efficient aircraft.

The 2026 mission

Cans, climb and distance

Fly as many 0.33 l cans as possible, as fast as possible. Each flight: take-off with a 60-second climb, then 120 seconds of distance flight and a safe landing. Bonus points for a shorter take-off run and for fast loading and unloading; fixed motor, penalties above 30 A.

We were Team 10. Midnight takes off in 55 metres and climbs to 150 metres in 60 seconds; its bay holds up to 9 cans and we declared 8 in the race.

The competition

Air Cargo
Challenge

Learn more about the ACC ↗

The Air Cargo Challenge is a biennial aeronautical engineering competition that brings together university students from across Europe to show off their technical skills and creativity.

Launched in 2003 by a group of aerospace engineering students in Lisbon, it is aimed mainly at aeronautical and aerospace engineering students, in a spirit similar to North America’s Design/Build/Fly.

The challenge: design and build a radio-controlled aircraft that carries as much payload as possible, under rules that change every edition. Flight performance counts, and so does the technical quality of the design, shown through detailed reports and drawings.

The first edition, ACC’03, was organised by APAE at the Instituto Superior Técnico in Lisbon. Since 2007 the competition has been coordinated by EUROAVIA, the European association of aerospace engineering students. A unique tradition: the winner hosts the next edition.

Our results

Our finishes

Four Air Cargo Challenges, four different aircraft. The taller the column, the better the finish.

6^°

of 30 teams

2022Kowalsky

5^°

of 34 teams

2026MidnightRecord

8^°

of about 30 teams

2019Marcoplano

10^°

of 30 teams

2024Zephira

The editions

Our races,
one by one

2019

Marcoplano · 8° of about 30 teams

Our first competition

In August 2019 we took part in our first competition, against university teams from all over the world. Teams are judged on flight results and on design, documented in a technical report for the jury.

The race itself: fly your aircraft round a circuit of about 1 km carrying as much payload as possible in the shortest time. Payload prediction and loading speed count too.

Presentation

On day one we presented our work to the judges and to representatives of every team.

Technical inspection

The aircraft was inspected part by part to check it matched the design and the rules.

Flying field

Then the flight sessions, at a flying field just outside Stuttgart. Bad weather and strong wind didn’t spare us, but Marcoplano flew in every round of the competition.

The result

The final ranking combines technical scores and race results: we finished eighth out of nearly thirty teams.

ACC 2019 · Marcoplano — ACC 2019 · 01/04

2022

Kowalsky · 6° of 30 teams

Simulated blood bags

In 2022 we took Kowalsky to the ACC. The mission: carrying simulated blood bags, to test the aircraft’s aerodynamic and structural efficiency and the teams’ ability to handle realistic scenarios.

At the last minute the planned flying field wasn’t available and the teams had to reorganise fast.

Despite the difficulties, Kowalsky proved reliable and we finished sixth out of 30: our best result until 2026.

2024

Zephira · 10° of 30 teams

Rain, wind and a payload equal to its own weight

In 2024 we flew Zephira in one of the toughest editions: rain, strong wind and sudden weather changes made flight operations far harder than expected.

Zephira, with its V-tail and airless-wheel landing gear, completed the trials carrying a payload equal to its own weight.

We finished tenth out of 30.

2026

Midnight · 5° of 34 teams

Our fastest aircraft, our best result

In 2026 we went back to Stuttgart with Midnight, the fastest aircraft we have ever built: retractable landing gear, slotted flaps and two motors limited to 30 A. The wing, with elliptical outer panels, is designed for speed, the prepreg fuselage is the base the other parts connect to, and the tray-style cargo bay makes loading and unloading the cans faster.

We paid special attention to assembly: Midnight is one of the simplest and fastest of our aircraft to put together. Most of the structure is made of lightweight carbon weaves, and the landing gear mechanism integrates 3D-printed titanium parts.

We finished 5th of 34 teams: the best result in our history.