Bhubaneswar, Apr 6 (IANS): At least five students from Odisha's KIIT University are set to participate in an annual aero-design competition to be held in California, USA next week, the university said Saturday.

Organised by the US-based Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE), in collaboration with organisations like National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and aerospace company Lockheed Martin, the contest, Aero Design West 2013, would be held from April 12-14, 2013.

The students from the Schools of Engineering of the Bhubaneswar-based KIIT University set to participate in competition have designed and built an aircraft from balsa wood, weighing about three and a half kg.

The aircraft, powered by an internal combustion engine, can carry a payload of around 10 kg and fly up to one thousand feet high at a speed of 120 km per hour.

"Our students have demonstrated a high level of creativity and innovation; we hope they will do well," said KIIT founder Achyuta Samanta.

The Bhubaneswar-based Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) is a group of professional institutes - KIIT University and Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences (KISS). KISS provides free education and vocational training to more than 20,000 tribal students.