The NUSA project has been developed entirely within the 2nd year master's courses of Methods of Aircraft Design and Laboratory of Aircraft Design, led by Prof. Carlo E.D. Riboldi with the assistance of Ph.D. students Dr. Riccardo Andrew Oggioni and Dr. Raffaello Terenzi.
NUSA is a STOL aircraft featuring Distributed Combined Propulsion (DCP) architecture, which includes placing multiple outboard electric motors and two inboard ICE-powered thrusters distributed along the wing.
The evaluation Committee appreciated (quoting excerpts from their report) the "exceptional design study, demonstrating outstanding engineering quality, innovation and validation. The Team’s highly integrated approach to aircraft design, supported by comprehensive analysis and verification, made NUSA the standout team submission this year. NUSA presented a highly accomplished aircraft design supported by a clear engineering process and a strong programme of analysis and validation. The Team demonstrated an excellent balance of innovation, technical depth and systems integration, producing one of the most convincing and well-supported submissions in this year's competition."
The students of the NUSA team were invited to present their work at the Royal Aeronautical Society's (RAeS) Light Aircraft Design Conference 2026, held at the RAeS headquarters in London, England, on November 6th, 2026.
TEAM NUSA IS WINNER OF THE RAES INTERNATIONAL LIGHT AIRCRAFT DESIGN COMPETITION
Team NUSA, formed by students Alessandro Galli, Carlo Farnetani and Filippo Carpani, has been awarded the Best Team Entry Award by the Royal Aeronautical Society (RAeS), within the RAeS International Light Aircraft Design Competition 2025/26.
