Flight Test Engineer

Aptronics; India; On-site; INR 600,000 - 1,000,000; Full time

Job summary

Aptronics in Bhubaneswar is seeking a Flight Test Engineer with 1–2 years of hands-on experience in UAV flight testing, system integration, and component validation. You will plan and execute ground and flight tests, validate UAV hardware and software, and analyze performance to ensure safety and reliability.

The role requires collaboration with design, electronics, software, and production teams to support new product development and continuous UAV platform improvement.

Qualifications

• 1–2 years hands-on UAV integration or aerospace validation.
• Experience with multirotor UAVs, propulsion, sensors, and avionics.
• Proficiency with Mission Planner or QGroundControl.
• Ability to read electrical schematics and mechanical drawings.

Responsibilities

• Perform UAV system integration including propulsion, flight controllers, GPS, telemetry.
• Plan and execute ground and flight tests following approved procedures and safety guidelines.
• Conduct IQC, functional validation, and acceptance testing of UAV components.
• Configure and calibrate flight controllers and onboard sensors.
• Execute autonomous missions, endurance tests, RTL, and recovery testing.
• Monitor performance, troubleshoot, and coordinate corrective actions with teams.
• Analyze flight logs for performance, GPS, battery, and health.
• Prepare Flight Test Reports, Component Validation Reports, and SOPs.
• Ensure compliance with safety and regulatory guidelines.
• Support field demonstrations and customer acceptance trials.

Job description

Department: Research & Development (R&D) Location: Bhubaneswar Experience : 1–2 Years

We are looking for a passionate and hands‑on Flight Test Engineer with 1–2 years of experience in UAV flight testing, system integration, and component validation. The candidate will be responsible for planning and executing ground and flight tests, validating UAV hardware and software, analysing flight performance, troubleshooting technical issues, and ensuring that all systems meet performance, reliability, and safety requirements before deployment.

The role requires close collaboration with design, electronics, software, and production teams to support new product development and continuous improvement of UAV platforms.

Key Resposibilities

• Perform complete UAV system integration, including propulsion systems, flight controllers, GPS, telemetry, RC systems, batteries, payloads, sensors, and communication modules.
• Plan, prepare, and execute ground tests, functional tests, and flight test activities in accordance with approved test procedures and safety guidelines.
• Conduct incoming quality inspection (IQC), functional validation, and acceptance testing of UAV components such as motors, ESCs, batteries, GPS modules, cameras, telemetry radios, antennas, power distribution boards, and other avionics.
• Configure and calibrate flight controllers, IMU, compass, GPS, radio systems, and other onboard sensors using Mission Planner, QGroundControl, or equivalent ground control software.
• Execute autonomous missions, manual flights, endurance tests, payload validation, range tests, failsafe verification, Return-to-Launch (RTL), geofence, and emergency recovery testing.
• Monitor UAV performance during testing, identify anomalies, perform troubleshooting, and coordinate corrective actions with cross-functional engineering teams.
• Analyse flight logs to evaluate flight performance, vibration levels, GPS quality, battery performance, navigation accuracy, and overall system health.
• Prepare detailed Flight Test Reports, Component Validation Reports, Failure Analysis Reports, Test Procedures, Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), and technical documentation.
• Ensure compliance with company quality standards, flight safety procedures, documentation requirements, and regulatory guidelines.
• Support field demonstrations, customer acceptance trials, and product validation activities at various test locations.

Required Qualifications & Skills

• Bachelor's Degree in Mechanical, Aerospace, Electronics, Electrical, Mechatronics, Robotics Engineering, or a related discipline.
• 1–2 years of hands‑on experience in UAV integration, drone flight testing, or aerospace system validation.
• Good understanding of multirotor UAV architecture, propulsion systems, batteries, sensors, avionics, and communication systems.
• Experience with ArduPilot/PX4‑based flight controllers and ground control software such as Mission Planner or QGroundControl.
• Ability to interpret electrical schematics, wiring diagrams, and mechanical assembly drawings.
• Knowledge of flight log analysis, parameter tuning, system calibration, and root cause analysis.
• Strong troubleshooting, analytical thinking, technical documentation, and communication skills.
• Willingness to travel for field trials, customer demonstrations, and outdoor flight testing.

The ideal candidate should demonstrate strong technical aptitude, attention to detail, problem‑solving ability, and a commitment to safety and quality. The individual should be capable of working independently in field environments while collaborating effectively with multidisciplinary engineering teams to deliver reliable, high‑performance UAV systems.