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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

Sponsorship Coordinator

Moving forward, QADT is focusing on developing team operations and streamlining business processes, which is imperative to the growth of QADT. The main focuses are increasing sponsorship income and improving outreach. QADT aims to continue developing the Business Operations Division, which has three subdivisions: Sponsorship, Marketing, and Finance. 

The Sponsorship Team plays a much-needed role in supporting the growth and success of the Queen’s Aerospace Design Team (QADT) by securing financial contributions from external and community partners. As part of the Business team, alongside Marketing and Finance, the sub-team focuses on increasing sponsorship income and strengthening community outreach. Led by the Sponsorship Manager, who works closely with the Director of Business Operations, the sub-team is responsible for developing effective sponsorship strategies, building and maintaining relationships with potential partners, and ensuring that QADT has the necessary resources to thrive. This work is vital to QADT’s mission of streamlining operations, enhancing outreach, and sustaining the team's growth long-term.

This year, the sponsorship team aims to generate more donations and sponsorships than our design team has ever received before. We’re looking for passionate and driven students to join our Sponsorship Team. As a general member, you’ll help secure partnerships, help manage relationships with sponsors, and contribute to funding the future of aerospace innovation at Queen’s. General members will also have the opportunity to acquire technical and software-related skills if they are inclined to gain further knowledge of the Aerospace industry.

Application & Interview Details

We do not consider your resume 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 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!