Who are we?

We are Aero-Watt, a down-to-earth multidisciplinary Society comprised of two arms; a competition team, and a general UAV and aviation society.

Competition Team

The competition team annually designs and builds a fully autonomous plane for the IMechE UAS challenge! Teams from different universities all over the world taxi in to take part in the competition at BMFA Buckminster over 4 days – completing missions such as waypoint navigation, payload delivery, and efficiency. Year on year the number of teams grows and with it the standard of engineering, because of this we strive to always be competitive.

Our team is made up of around 35 enthusiastic members, but are generally split into several sub-teams: Aerodynamic Design (AD) - focusing on highly optimised aerodynamic surfaces which achieve stable and efficient flight, Airframe (AF) - focusing on structure and physical manufacturing of the aircraft, Software and Electrical Systems (SES) -  focusing on the power system, autonomy, and control of the plane, and Operations (OP) who handle documentation, health and safety, and business side of the competition, sponsors, media and more! However, we try to promote as much cross team collaboration as possible and everyone is informed of big decisions! Working through year-round deliverables, ensuring the plane fits technical specifications, and physical rapid-prototyping alongside iterative assembly, we really do try to provide an industry-similar experience but with all the perks of being student led, such as regular socials!

Society

The wider society is more fluid, acting as a home for like minded individuals of all academic backgrounds and goal, we are here for you! Whatever interests you about aviation whether it be flying remote controlled drones and planes or spending time on a flight simulator to building scale models, we are open to all. With big plans for the year to come please don't hesitate to suggest socials and activities for us to try and organise. Some of our potential plans for the coming year involve;

• RC model flying days
• mini Design-Build-Fly or similar building challenge
• Training and skill development workshops in all the tools needed for aircraft design
  • CAD
  • CFD
  • FEA
  • ect!
• Regular seminars for team members to show of their recent work on the comp UAV

History

Last year we designed and built a 6.8kg flying wing, with a fully carbon fibre monocoque and custom composite wing spar. The AW26 could carry a payload of 3.2kg and fly for upwards of 30 minutes fully autonomously. We broke records with our wingspan and were the only team to showcase a fully custom retractable take-off-gear system. Aero-Watt got nominations for the innovation and safety awards.

Four years ago, we were the first team to demonstrate a fully autonomous VTOL transition. Winning the media and engagement award the following year, and the highly prestigious Innovation award the year after. The next year was arguably our best performance placing 6th in the world and 2nd in the UK with our first flying wing, winning the most promise award.

This will be our 7th year at the competition and we're going for our best platform possible! To find out more info, come find us at the the Watt Welcome Fair 9th September 2026 (we're the ones with the big plane) , or follow our Instagram at @aerowatt to hear about any other events we’ll be at!

Apply to the team

Any one can join the Society, with application and selection for the Team performed from the society rather than directly. This involves weekly meetings where we plan, discuss, and build the UAS. We currently have positions for: Electrical, Software, Structural, CAD, Aerodynamics, Social Media, Business and Marketing, Documentation, Model Making, and many more.

Key positions we are looking for;

• Software and Electrical Systems (SES) Team Lead (comp team role)
• Health and Safety Officer (Hybrid role)
• Social Media Lead (Hybrid role)
• Leadership roles within the society

Our Aircraft

2021-2022

2022-2023

2023-2024

2024-2025

2025-2026