On 19 January 1946, the Bell X-1 lifted off from Pinecastle Army Field in Florida – the first flight of the first X-Plane. This plane went on to break the sound barrier the following year. AIAA’s unique connection to this X-Plane stems from four members of the American Rocket Society, one of AIAA’s predecessor societies, whose company provided the engine behind the Bell X-1. From the X-15, which scraped the edge of space at Mach 6.7, to the X-59 currently reshaping the future of supersonic flight, an AIAA member has had a hand in developing and testing every X-Plane that has ever flown. This is a reflection of who we are: the world’s most trusted community of aerospace professionals, united by a relentless drive to break barriers and push the boundaries of flight.
This summer, that legacy takes a new form.
• Related Reading: Revisiting the Bell X-1: The Inspiration Behind AIAA’s New Logo – Aerospace America
An AIAA Aircraft Takes Flight
At AIAA SciTech Forum 2026, we connected with two extraordinary AIAA members – Mujahid “TULSI” Abdulrahim, Ph.D., and Jessica “STING” Peterson, Ph.D. – who were willing to do something remarkable: dedicate their time, expertise, and even Mujahid’s experimental plane to bring AIAA’s mission to one of the most passionate aviation audiences in the world. From that conversation, the AIAA X-Plane was born.
The AIAA X-Plane is a Thorp S-18 – a two-seat, high-performance experimental aircraft originally designed in the 1960s by aeronautical engineer John Willard Thorp, beloved by the homebuilt community for its fighter-inspired handling and clean aerodynamics. Now wearing fresh AIAA livery, it is a flying brand platform, a mobile classroom, and a declaration that AIAA’s commitment to flight is alive and airborne.
On Friday, 17 July 2026, Mujahid and Jessica flew the AIAA X-Plane for the first time. They picked up the freshly painted aircraft in Zephyrhills, Florida, and began the journey to Oshkosh, Wisconsin.
They have captured their travels from all angles – with traditional and 360-degree cameras mounted inside the cockpit and on the wings. This footage will become the foundation of a yearlong digital storytelling campaign and an immersive YouTube video series that will bring the AIAA member experience to audiences well beyond our current community.
Their multiday cross-country flight covered over 1,100 statute miles and spanned the airspace of eight states including Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois, and Wisconsin with planned airfield stops at KZPH, KAJR, KBAK, KMKE, KFLD, and KOSH.
A Week at the World’s Greatest Aviation Celebration
The AIAA X-Plane will make its debut at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2026 – the 73rd annual edition of what is simply known as “the world’s greatest aviation celebration.” The event draws aviation enthusiasts, pilots, builders, engineers, and families from around the globe to Wittman Regional Airport each July. It is the natural home for everything the AIAA X-Plane represents. Daily flights from the flightline are planned throughout the week, weather permitting.
Throughout the week of 20-26 July, AIAA will host guests at Booth #331, designed as a member lounge, live programming stage, and community hub. The centerpiece of the booth is a unique virtual reality (VR) immersive flight experience filmed inside the AIAA X-Plane. Visitors can put on a VR headset and fly with Mujahid and Jessica without ever leaving the ground.
The Story Continues All Year
The AIAA X-Plane’s journey does not end at Oshkosh. What begins this week becomes a yearlong campaign – flights, presentations, digital content, and community appearances that carry AIAA’s message to reach new audiences around the world. In the coming weeks, you will hear more about Mujahid’s and Jessica’s journeys. We’ll put you in the cockpit for everything they do next.
As our 33,000+ members continue their work breaking barriers in aerospace, stories like Mujahid’s and Jessica’s remind us why we love this profession: to inspire, to connect, and to pass the full body of aerospace knowledge on to the generation that will take it further than any of us can imagine.
Follow the AIAA X-Plane at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh Booth 331 and across AIAA social channels: LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, X, YouTube.
The People Behind the Mission
Mujahid “TULSI” Abdulrahim, Ph.D. (LinkedIn), is an Associate Professor of Aerospace Engineering at the University of Missouri–Kansas City, an AIAA Associate Fellow, and a member of the AIAA Atmospheric Flight Mechanics Technical Committee. A certified flight instructor with a Ph.D. from the University of Florida, he has spent his career bridging the gap between aerospace research and hands-on flight – as faculty advisor to UMKC’s AIAA Student Branch and Design/Build/Fly team, and as lead instructor for AIAA’s short course, “Flight Test Techniques for UAS,” available on demand.
Jessica “STING” Peterson, Ph.D. (LinkedIn), is an Instructor Flight Test Engineer and Assistant Professor at the U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School and an Adjunct Professor at the University of Nevada, Reno. She holds a Master’s degree from the U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School and a Ph.D. from the University of Nevada, Reno, where her research focuses on aerodynamic modeling for emergency landings. An AIAA Member and member of the AIAA Flight Testing Technical Committee, she logged more than 500 hours in 40-plus aircraft types during nearly two decades at Edwards Air Force Base – including key contributions to the F-16 Automatic Ground Collision Avoidance System, a technology credited with saving multiple pilots’ lives. This year she is advising the first Design/Build/Fly team at the University of Nevada, Reno. She is the lead instructor for AIAA’s short course, “Test Foundations for Flight Test”, available on demand or in person as a two-day course at AIAA SciTech Forum 2027. The new course incorporates flight test data and videos from the AIAA X-Plane.
