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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 opportunity 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 Aerodynamics sub-team is responsible for the aerodynamic design and optimization of QADT’s fixed-wing UAV. For the 2026-2027 season, the Aerodynamics Sub-Team will contribute to the development of QADT's fixed-wing UAV for the SAE Aero competition, using aerodynamic theory, stability analysis, computational modelling, and iterative design to develop an effective, competition-focused aircraft. The team will analyze mission requirements, fulfilling them with an aircraft configuration, ensuring the design can achieve the requirements.

During the 2025–2026 season, the Aerodynamics team designed a carbon-fiber fixed-wing for the AIAA Design, Build, Fly competition and contributed to QADT’s AEAC competition fixed-wing VTOL aircraft. These projects gave the team experience in aircraft configuration, aerodynamic efficiency, payload optimization, stability, and mission-focused design.

As a member of the Aerodynamics Team, you will have the opportunity to contribute to the aerodynamic design, analysis, and optimization of QADT’s fixed-wing UAV for the 2026-2027 SAE Aero competition. Members will primarily be involved in two aspects of the design process: aerodynamic research and software-based analysis. Through research, members will develop preliminary designs for components such as the wings, stabilizers, airfoils, and fuselage,



while considering their effects on the overall performance and efficiency of the aircraft.

These concepts will then be modelled, compared, and iterated using software such as OpenVSP, OpenFOAM, and Flow5 to evaluate aerodynamic performance, conduct CFD analysis, and learn about aircraft stability and airfoil behavior. Members will learn how to interpret and compare analytical and computational results, evaluate trade-offs to maximize scoring efficiency, and use their findings to justify design decisions, prior to their implementation. Throughout the season, this iterative process of research, modelling, analysis, and optimization will allow members to directly contribute to the development of the final competition UAV.

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

- Aerodynamic Design – airfoil selection, wing sizing, and aircraft configuration
- Aircraft Performance and Stability – stall speed, takeoff and landing calculations, stability analysis, and centre of gravity placement
- Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) – developing CFD simulations, meshing, and post-processing of results
- Aircraft Modelling through OpenVSP – geometry development and iterations
- Flow5 – airfoil, wing and aerodynamic analysis including stability and airfoil selection
- Aircraft Sizing through Python – using/developing an analytical tool to model aircraft sizing according to optimized results

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) - Aerodynamics Team Member (Canada)
🏢 EngSoc
📍 Canada