The Air Cargo Challenge (ACC) is a biennial aeronautical engineering competition held in Europe, bringing together university students from across the continent to showcase their technical skills and creativity.
First launched in 2003 by a group of aerospace engineering students in Lisbon, the competition is primarily aimed at students in aeronautical and aerospace engineering programs. It shares a similar spirit with the North American Design/Build/Fly competition, offering a platform for hands-on learning and international collaboration.
At the heart of the ACC is a demanding engineering challenge: to design and build a radio-controlled aircraft capable of carrying the maximum possible payload, in accordance with a set of rules that change with each edition. Teams are evaluated not only on flight performance, but also on the technical quality of their design, as demonstrated through detailed reports and engineering drawings.
The inaugural event, ACC’03, was organized by APAE (Associação Portuguesa de Aeronáutica e Espaço) at Instituto Superior Técnico in Lisbon. Since ACC’07, the competition has expanded internationally under the coordination of EUROAVIA, the European Association of Aerospace Students. A unique tradition of the ACC is that the winning team earns the right to host the next edition.
The Air Cargo Challenge continues to inspire the next generation of aerospace engineers, fostering innovation, teamwork, and international exchange.
