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Captain’s Message The aerospace industry is among the fastest-growing industries worldwide. In 2025, the market size was estimated at 402.75 billion USD and is projected to double by 2034.

At Queen’s Aerospace Design Team (QADT), we are dedicated to pushing boundaries with the development of high performance & autonomous unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for national and international competitions in Canada, Europe, and the United States. With the continued growth in industry aerospace applications in recent years, QADT has seen an unparalleled expansion, and our dedicated team of more than 150 undergraduate students has not disappointed.

This year, the AEAC technical team developed 2 UAVs from the ground up to compete at the AEAC 2026 student competition hosted in Ottawa. This included a 3D printed vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) drone to map urban fires, as well as a heavy-lift quadcopter designed to autonomously extinguish fires using a water gun. While in parallel, the AIAA technical team developed a fully carbon fiber fixed wing aircraft optimized for long range cargo flights and banner towing.

Alongside the technical teams, the QADT research branch wrote two research papers for submission to the IMAV conference paper call and the VFS student design competition. Respectively, these papers focused on the application of compliant airfoils on efficiency gains in flight and the conversion of a tilt rotor aircraft to a hybrid electric engine to prove the feasibility of electrifying the aerospace industry!

QADT offers a unique opportunity for development and growth for students in any discipline, including gaining technical experience in aero-mechanics, Electrical, and Software, and the prospect to conduct research in a variety of unique fields,



as well as the chance to gain experience in business and management. QADT is looking to continue its rapid growth and expansion by taking on like-minded individuals to not just continue the development of advanced drone technology but push the boundaries of what student teams are capable of.

We eagerly await your application.

‘Aviation is proof that given the will, we have the capacity to achieve the impossible.’

— Eddie Rickenbacker, WWI flying ace

Erin Payne

Mechatronics & Robotics Engineering ‘28

Purujit Kantiya

Mechatronics & Robotics Engineering ‘28

The goal of the prototyping sub-team is to write a paper detailing a theoretical solution for a real-world aerospace problem put out by the Vertical Flight Society (VFS). This year will be the 44th edition of the student competition where students are challenged to design a vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft to aid offshore oil extraction in South America. The winning team gets the prospect to attend the annual VFS forum and present their work in front of industry professionals and researchers in academia.

Last year, the prototyping sub-team researched, designed and modeled a hybrid electric conversion of a NASA tilt rotor aircraft (XV-15). The solution and analysis involved several industry tools such as OnShape, giving students the opportunity to develop their technical skillset and build practical experience.



After going through many iterations a final design was chosen and detailed in a 50 page report that was eventually submitted to the conference.

As a member of the Prototyping team, you will get the opportunity to do real research with a small group of talented individuals. Members will be given the opportunity to contribute to the presented solution at every stage, from ideation to documentation. At the beginning of the year you, alongside your team and manager, you will consider design options through a series of literature reviews and trade studies.

You will make use of CAD tools like OnShape and Ansys to model and analyze solutions to determine the best ones and optimize for better results. At the end of the design cycle members are given the opportunity to contribute to the final report with the oversight of the team manager and research director.

A member of the prototyping sub-team can expect to gain skills in the areas of:

- Teamwork in a real-world research context
- Research paper writing
- Researching and finding solutions to complex problems
- Working with simulation software to further improve the thoroughness of the research

Application & Interview Details

We do not look at your resume as a deciding factor. We weigh it the least compared to your written application and interview.

DEADLINE TO APPLY: September 19th, 2026 (11:59 PM EST)

Interviews will occur in person after the deadline. We are happy to provide accommodation for these interviews, so please reach out to us and let us know how we can make the process more accessible for you!

Contact Information

Please email any questions or concerns to aero @engsoc.queensu.ca or text @queensaero on Instagram!

📌 Queen's Aerospace Design Team (QADT) - Prototyping Team Member (Canada)
🏢 EngSoc
📍 Canada