Unmanned Aerial Systems as a Project-Based Class

The ENGR-E 399/599 Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) course at Indiana University provides a hands-on, project-based learning experience focused on fixed-wing electric unmanned aircraft. In this course, advanced undergraduate (3rd- and 4th-year) and graduate (M.S. and Ph.D.) students learn about the fundamental physics, flight dynamics, stability and control, and guidance principles that govern small UAS flight. The course follows a tightly integrated lecture–laboratory–project format in which students develop the theoretical foundations of small unmanned aircraft in lecture, while designing, implementing, and validating a microcontroller-based autopilot through a sequence of structured laboratory exercises. These subsystems are ultimately integrated into a fully instrumented small fixed-wing aircraft, culminating in an outdoor flight-test demonstration. The course aligns with the Luddy School’s emphasis on experiential, “learn-by-doing” engineering education, enabling students to translate theory into functioning unmanned aircraft. Now in its third offering, the course continues to evolve through iterative improvements to laboratory materials, avionics hardware, and project structure. This paper presents the course design, laboratory progression, fixed-wing aircraft project, flight-test outcomes, and lessons learned to support the adoption of similar UAS-focused educational experiences within the broader aerospace engineering community.