Arvino Mahadi
All projects

Aerospace · Structures · CFD

Leviathan

Period
September 2025 - May 2026
Location
Philadelphia, PA
Rear view of the blue, white, and red Leviathan aircraft flying above a winter tree line.

Overview

Designed and built a Regular Class SAE Aero Design aircraft, contributing to structural design, subsystem integration, and aerodynamic analysis.

My Role

  • Supported wing and tail development through the design and fabrication of balsa and plywood structural components.
  • Designed, manufactured, and integrated filler ribs to improve leading-edge fit and assembly quality.
  • Contributed to jig design, servo integration, and a magnetized payload system.
  • Conducted CFD analysis on propeller-wing orientations to reduce thrust losses and inform design choices.
Flight test
Competition flight
Balsa wing structure with leading-edge paneling in progress.
Wing fabrication
Exposed balsa and plywood wing structure on a workbench.
Wing structure
Close view of the aircraft's laser-cut plywood fuselage structure.
Fuselage structure
CAD model of the full Leviathan airframe.
Airframe CAD
CFD streamlines around an airfoil and propeller region.
Propeller-wing CFD
Pressure contour around an airfoil in a CFD domain.
Propeller-wing CFD
Structural analysis result for two spar configurations.
Spar analysis
Leviathan assembled in the aircraft line at the SAE Aero Design competition.
Leviathan at competition
Penn Aerial Robotics members with their aircraft at the SAE Aero Design competition in Fort Worth, Texas.
Competition team in Fort Worth
Regular Class mechanical team standing behind the completed Leviathan aircraft.
Regular Class mechanical team
Completed blue and red Leviathan aircraft indoors.
Aircraft pre-flight-test
Penn Aerial Robotics team preparing the assembled Leviathan aircraft outdoors.
Flight-test preparation
Penn Aerial Robotics team working around the assembled Leviathan aircraft outdoors.
Flight-test preparation
Leviathan flying above a snowy field while team members observe.
Winter flight test
Penn Aerial Robotics team with the completed Leviathan aircraft.
Penn Aerial Robotics