CAV is the branch focused on the design of aircraft. As the main fixed-wing aviation branch of AIAA UTD, members get to participate in one of two distinguished competition teams: Design/Build/Fly (DBF) or the Aviation Design Competition (ADC). This branch serves as an opportunity for those with or without experience in fixed-wing aviation to foster a foundation for competitive aircraft design at UTD while officially representing our university at competition.

ADC is the division of CAV that focuses on training students in aircraft design. This semester-long program provides structured guidance in airplane design, enabling participants to deepen their technical knowledge while enhancing their teamwork, time management, and technical writing capabilities. By the conclusion of the project, each student team (composed of ~5 students) will have successfully designed, manufactured, and flown their own aircraft.

DBF takes aviation design to the next level through the development of a large, radio-controlled aircraft for the international AIAA Design/Build/Fly competition. Every year, 110 university teams are selected to plan, construct, validate, and demonstrate an aircraft that can perform three flight and one ground mission with various payload configurations. Following the submission of a design proposal and report, teams will be invited to the flyoffs in April, alternating yearly between Tucson, Arizona and Wichita, Kansas. The DBF team is divided into the Aerodynamics, Mechanics, and Electronics subteams.