This paper describes a product realization exercise tailored for undergraduate aerospace engineering students. The project is a new component of a design course incorporated recently into the Aerospace Engineering curriculum at the University of Missouri-Rolla offered during the sophomore year. This component is designed to extend learning opportunities that apply the fundamentals of design along with hands-on experiences. The students are required to analyze and solve open-ended design problems, test and experiment with different concepts, and use engineering process skills such as teamwork and development of technical reports. An emphasis is placed on the connection between theory and design applications, comparisons of analytical work with test results, reporting, and working with peers. Details on this effort and organization of the developed material are given.