About RAEA
Building the next generation of aerospace engineers through experience, exploration, and leadership.
- Type
- Student-led
- Founded
- 2025
- Chapter
- Irvine HS
- Rev
- 2026-A
It started with wanting to build something.
RAEA began at Irvine High School with a goal of creating a space where students could explore aviation, rocketry, and aerospace engineering through practical experience. Rather than limiting engineering to lectures or textbooks, RAEA was built around the idea that students learn best when they can actually build and test something themselves.
The organization has grown to include hands-on projects, workshops, university and industry connections, competitions, and community outreach. RAEA is now working toward expanding this model to other high schools through a chapter network.
- Mission
- To empower students to explore aerospace and engineering through hands-on learning, leadership, collaboration, and real-world experiences.
- Vision
- To build a connected network of student aerospace organizations that makes meaningful engineering opportunities accessible across schools and communities.
Five stages, in order.
Members move through the sequence as they take on more responsibility. Most are working at several stages at once.
- 01
Explore
Discover aerospace, aviation, and engineering.
- 02
Learn
Develop technical knowledge through workshops and mentorship.
- 03
Build
Apply concepts through hands-on projects.
- 04
Test
Experiment, compete, troubleshoot, and improve.
- 05
Lead
Teach others, lead projects, conduct outreach, and build chapters.
The loop every project runs
- 01Learn
- 02Build
- 03Test
- 04Improve
- 05Share
Nothing is finished the first time. A glider that stalls, a transition tube that will not seat, a simulation that disagrees with the flight — each one sends the work back a stage, and that is the point.
More than a STEM club.
- Technical learning
- Students explore real engineering concepts.
- Hands-on work
- Members physically build and test their designs.
- Industry exposure
- Students see engineering environments firsthand.
- University connections
- Students interact with university organizations and engineering communities.
- Leadership
- Students lead projects, workshops, chapters, and outreach.
- Community impact
- Students use what they learn to teach younger students.
- Network
- Students can build chapters at other schools and collaborate across campuses.