01 Season 1 roadmap
Thirteen weeks plus a build week. Three sessions a week, about three hours.
| Wk | Focus | Starts | Project | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | Commission the machine | 1 September 2026 | — | Planned |
| 1 | Welcome to the race team | 8 September 2026 | — | Planned |
| 2 | Precision measurement | 15 September 2026 | — | Planned |
| 3 | First CAD | 22 September 2026 | 001 | Planned |
| 4 | Original design | 29 September 2026 | 002 | Planned |
| 5 | First print + calibration | 6 October 2026 | 002 | Planned |
| 6 | Failure is data | 13 October 2026 | 003 | Planned |
| 7 | Lightweighting | 20 October 2026 | 004 | Planned |
| 8 | Aerodynamics | 27 October 2026 | 005 | Planned |
| 9 | Virtual electronics | 3 November 2026 | 006 | Planned |
| 10 | First Arduino | 10 November 2026 | 006 | Planned |
| 11 | Servo wing flap | 17 November 2026 | 007 | Planned |
| 12 | Aero force balance | 24 November 2026 | 008 | Planned |
| 13 | Race engineer review | 1 December 2026 | — | Planned |
02 Skill matrix
Honest self-assessment, updated at each 30-day checkpoint. Aerodynamics starts at zero on purpose — it was the weakest subject on the baseline diagnostic, and it's what the back half of the season is built around.
CAD & mechanical designOnshape. Comfortable with sketches and extrudes; parametric modelling is next.
3D printing & manufacturingCan slice and print. Calibration and tolerance work starts Week 5.
Materials & structuresStrongest area on the baseline diagnostic — 4 out of 5.
Electronics & sensorsWeeks 9 to 12. Arduino, then a real load cell.
Data & test methodError bars, repeat trials, and not claiming things I haven't proved.
AerodynamicsWeakest subject on the baseline — 1 out of 6. The whole back half of the season is this.
03 Tools & resources
What this is actually built with.