What: UC Davis aeronautical engineering students will demonstrate their model airplane's lifting ability -- a strength that earned it high marks in a recent international collegiate competition. The "Aerobrick '98" team built a six-pound, fixed-wing composite aircraft with an 11-foot wingspan that lifted 27.5 pounds -- just a fraction less than the 27.7 pounds raised by the competition winner. When and Where: Thursday, June 18, at 2 p.m. at the UC Davis Airport. Visuals: Some of the 16 team members will fly the remote-controlled plane. Directions and Parking: To reach the UC Davis Airport, take Highway 113 to Hutchison Drive. Go west on Hutchison to Hopkins, then south on Hopkins. The airport will be on your left. Background: The annual Aero Design West Competition challenges engineering students from around the world to conceive, design, fabricate and test a radio-controlled aircraft that can take off and land while carrying cargo. This gives students the opportunity to apply knowledge learned in the classroom to a practical problem. The contest is sponsored by the Society of Automotive Engineers, SAE International. Each of 27 teams in the competition designed and built a radio-controlled aircraft capable of carrying a payload of 10 to 30 pounds over a circular flight path, taking off and landing within a prescribed distance. Points were awarded for overall performance, lifting ability and a design report and drawings. This year, the University of Akron, Ohio, the returning Aero Design West champion, placed first overall. Akron also won the award for best design report and best lift. The Warsaw University of Technology of Warsaw, Poland, placed second overall. UC Davis was second in the lifting competition and third overall.