Mid Atlantic Aviation Partnership
Drone Technology and Test Engineer Intern — Virginia Tech ICTAS
Overview
In mid-April 2025, I began working as a Drone Technology and Testing Engineer Intern with the Mid-Atlantic Aviation Partnership (MAAP) — a drone testing group within Virginia Tech's ICTAS Group.
As an intern, I contributed to multiple projects with hardware integration (avionics, structures, and peripheral sensors), testing operations support, and even a full drone build from scratch.
Custom Drone Build
Above is the in-house drone I designed and fabricated for MAAP's Unmanned Aerial Systems Testing over my sophomore year at VT. After communicating with the long-standing engineers and operations members of the team and my mentor for use-case criteria, I designed a general-purpose testing drone platform.
I designed the assembly in Fusion360 and, after a few iterations, constructed the platform using custom milled carbon fiber plating and carbon fiber-infused PETG 3D printed spacers. The platform also features avionics support for RF or fiber optic-based communication.
Overall, it was an amazing experience to design under the guidance of people who have been working with UAVs for years — a great opportunity to design with assembly, specific requirements (lift capacity, size, and avionic features), and user input in mind.
Hardware Integration
Before creating the custom drone, most of my work facilitated what was needed for field testing. My first deliverable was adding an adjustable fixed rail system to Hexcoon drones, enabling more possible configurations for on-board computers, radars, and cameras.
I also created a waypoint generator script in Python — added to MAAP's GitLab — for generating test points given a radar's position and bearing.
Additionally, I designed a GPS Tracking Module enclosure: a custom red casing that houses all components, locks for security, and is designed to properly expel heat. It is meant to be onboard aircraft to report truth data on position and velocity.
Drone Camp
Virginia Tech hosts an Imagination Dream Camp where students participate in STEM camps for free. I supported MAAP's drone camp — a week-long program where students learn drone safety, build a kit, and take a drone home after a flying competition.
My work included documenting and redesigning all the camp manuals, assembling the kits, and ensuring every student understood how their kit went together.
Operational Support
Once a project reaches the field-testing stage, I transition into an operational role. This is a significant mindset shift — learning safety procedures within aircraft operations, sterile communications, radar weather observation, and our relationships with surrounding facilities and airspace.
