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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 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. Including a 3D printed airframe VTOL to map for urban fires, as well as a heavy-lift quadcopter designed to autonomously extinguish fires indoor and outdoor using a water gun. The AIAA technical team developed a fully carbon fiber fixed wing aircraft optimized for long range cargo flights and banner towing. 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 compliant airfoils on efficiency gains in flight and 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 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
 Erin Payne Mechatronics & Robotics Engineering ‘28 |  Purujit Kantiya Mechatronics & Robotics Engineering ‘28 |
Welcome to research at QADT! Here, we turn the most ambitious ideas into reality and provide you with the best research experience at the undergraduate. The VTOL Prototyping Team is focused on Vertical Take-Off and Landing drone design. Every year the team is challenged with new design requirements to implement in student competitions for vertical flight technology. We push the limits of VTOL engineering and applications!
Throughout the 2025-2026 school year, the VTOL Prototyping sub-team designed the conversion of a NASA tilt-rotor aircraft to hybrid-electric. This project involved background research into the base aircraft, applying computational fluid dynamics simulations, mathematical modelling, CAD design, and thorough testing and analysis. The design created demonstrated the feasibility and advanced performance capabilities of hybrid-electric aircraft, contributing to the future of sustainable aviation. The final technical report encompassed all of this and more, making it a strong contender in the Vertical Flight Society’s (VFS) 43rd annual Student Design Competition, a notable international competition. The 2025-2026 team laid a strong foundation for the future, allowing the next team to achieve even greater success in VFS’s next competition.
As part of the executive team, the VTOL Prototyping Manager leads and oversees all Enhancement sub-team operations. The VTOL Prototyping Manager can expect to work with the Research Director and Enhancement Manager.
The VTOL Prototyping Manager can expect to gain skills in the areas of:
- Project Management
- CAD Software
- Research Paper Publication
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: June 27th, 2026 (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!