About this role
We are developing an autonomous fixed-wing aircraft capable of Dynamic Soaring, using wind gradients to extract energy from the atmosphere and significantly increase flight endurance.
We are looking for an engineer with a strong understanding of aerodynamics, aircraft flight dynamics, wind shear and trajectory optimization based who can help us understand how the aircraft should fly to extract the maximum possible energy from the wind.
This is a hands-on role involving modeling, simulation, flight- data analysis, trajectory development, and real-world flight testing.
What you'll do
Working closely with our GNC, Embedded and flight test teams you will:
Define the Flight Strategy: Determine how the aircraft should fly under different wind conditions to maximize energy extraction while remaining within safe and achievable flight limits.
Develop & Improve Trajectories: Create, evaluate, and continuously improve Dynamic Soaring trajectories based on simulation and real-world flight results.
Simulation & Analysis: Build simulations and optimization tools to evaluate aircraft performance under different trajectories and wind conditions.
System Integration: Work with the controls team to convert optimized trajectories into practical trajectories that the autonomous aircraft can accurately follow.
Skills and Competencies
We are particularly interested in experience with:
Aerodynamics & Flight Mechanics: Lift/drag, aerodynamic polars, stall, AoA, sideslip, wing loading, load factor, turn dynamics, aircraft performance, stability, and energy management. Thorough with your concepts and understanding of Flight Mechanics and Aerodynamics.
Tools: MATLAB/Simulink, X-Plane / JSBSim (any other sim), Python, flight-dynamics simulation, analysis simulation/optimization tools.
Flight Data: Ability to analyze flight logs and use real-world data,
Autopilot Systems: Ardupilot, Px4
Nice to haves
Strong practical or research experience in aircraft aerodynamics, flight mechanics, trajectory optimization, gliders/soaring aircraft, fixed-wing UAVs, optimal control, or similar fields.
Direct experience with Dynamic Soaring, autonomous soaring, sailplanes, gliders, or wind-energy-harvesting aircraft is highly desirable.