You are saying this is a college level project. Is there a specific goal for this project or is it a one time event. If the students are rather keen on a competitive level as most are then the SAEA Aerodesign Competition might be the answer. A team designs and builds the aircraft for a given task then they can have an experienced pilot fly it. I was the mentor/pilot for 8 years for the local u university and i must say we had a riot.

saeaerodesign.com