UVic Aero team wins third in national student UAV competition

The UVic AERO Team—40 mechanical, electrical, and computer and software engineering undergrads who design, build and fly unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) or drones—came away from this year’s national student unmanned aerial systems competition with a third place win in the operational phase category.

This year, the unmanned aerial systems competition focused on challenges commonly faced by the oil and gas, mining, and agriculture industries. Teams used either fixed wing or rotary wing aircraft to solve three complex commercial challenges.

Eleven teams participated in the Unmanned Systems Canada competition at the Southport Aerospace Centre near Portage la Prairie, Manitoba. The UVic AERO team, led by faculty advisor Dr. Afzal Suleman, helps students apply the knowledge they gain from their academic courses by giving them real world and hands-on experience.