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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 373.6 billion USD and is projected to double by 2035.

At Queen’s Aerospace Design Team (QADT), we are dedicated to pushing boundaries with the development of high performance & autonomous 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.

Last year, the technical team developed 2 brand new UAVs from the ground up to compete at the AEAC 2025 student competition hosted in Medicine Hat, Alberta. Including a fully carbon fiber fixed wing aircraft with a two-axis gimbal to find and map wildfires, as well as a heavy-lift quadcopter designed to pick-up and drop-off water for autonomous fire extinguishing. While in parallel, the QADT research team 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 DBD plasma actuators to reattach airflow separation and a hydrogen fuel cell powered aircraft design to maximize loitering time.

This year, we are going even further with new designs and initiatives as we prepare to expand our technical capabilities and compete in not just the AEAC 2026 student competition, but also the AIAA Design, Build, Fly competition hosted in Wichita, KS, while continuing to publish leading edge research papers.

QADT offers a unique opportunity for development and growth for students in any discipline, including gaining technical experience in Aeromechanics, 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 and motivated 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

Queen's Aerospace — Mechanical Engineering Team Member

The QADT Mechanical Team is responsible for designing and building aircraft for the two competitions this season; AIAA held in Wichita, KS, and AEAC held in Ottawa. Members of the Aeromechanics team will also get the opportunity to participate in the full design process with crossteam workshops to learn important practical engineering skills in both design and manufacturing, including CAD, aerodynamics and more. And will have the opportunity to help manufacture and assemble the final drone to compete in competition.

In 2024-25, the Aeromechanics Team designed and manufactured a heavy-lift quadcopter, and a fully carbon fiber monocoque shell and internal structure of a fixed wing UAV for the AEAC student competition. The Aeromechanics sub-team has laid a strong foundation for the future and looks to continue pushing the boundaries of what is possible for QADT.

Members looking to join the mechanical team will have the choice of joining either Aero-structures or Aerodynamics sub-team, and a choice of either competing in the AEAC or AIAA Competition.

Aero-Structures:

The Aero-Structures sub-team is responsible for designing and building the key structural components that make our aircraft strong, lightweight, and functional.
As a member of Aero-Structures, you will gain CAD and fabrication skills while working on competition-ready drones, collaborating closely with other sub-teams.

What to Expect:

• Structural CAD Design: Learn to use Onshape to design internal structures, component mounts, and task-specific mechanisms such as water-drop systems or gimbals.
  
  
• Fabrication & Prototyping: Get hands-on experience building your designs using 3D printing, carbon fibre layups, and other fabrication methods.
  
  
• Research & Development: Contribute to material research, load analysis, and structural optimization to inform better design decisions.
  
  
• Cross-Team Collaboration: Work alongside Aerodynamics, Avionics, and Payload teams to ensure structures integrate seamlessly into the overall aircraft.
  
  
• Competition Preparation: Apply your design and build skills to develop drones ready for the AEAC competition.

Aerodynamics:

The aerodynamics sub-teams are responsible for the initial design of the aircraft outer structure, such as wings, tails and the fuselage in order for the plane to fly efficiently, maintain stability and control, and meet performance goals under various flight conditions. As a member in either aerodynamics teams, you will develop your CAD skills, learn about aerodynamic principles and learn to design a competition-ready aircraft, through step by step process.

What to Expect:

• Aerodynamic principles & aircraft configuration: Members will learn about the basic aerodynamic principles, and how they apply to various aircraft components and affect the design process of a drone.
• Aircraft CAD & Optimisation Design: The team will design a fuselage body, tailored to the competition scenario and utilise various CAD applications and QAPOT to optimise wing and tail sizes for the aircraft. In this stage, members will learn how to design and size control surfaces for the aircraft, and understand their importance for the aircraft during flight.
• Hands-on Designing: After the 3D modelling, members will get hands-on experience, building the fixed winged gliders and drones they have designed.
• WATCH OUR DRONES FLY: After the design of the aircraft, the aerodynamics team aims to give members first-hand experience, visiting local air fields to watch your drones FLY! Members will get to see how aerodynamic principles work, in person, such as stalls, control surfaces, lift generation, drag reduction techniques, and stability during flight.

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 11th, 2025 (11:59 PM EST)

Interviews will occur online after the deadline. We are happy to provide accommodations 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!