Flight Test Engineer – HIL, GNC & Software

LTA Research; Akron (OH); On-site; USD 75,000 - 95,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Relocation assistance

Excellent medical, dental, and vision

Company-paid life, AD&D, long-term and

short-term disability insurances

Parental leave

PTO + 10 paid holidays

401(k) matching up to 6%

Lunch and snacks provided daily

Monthly wellness stipend

Monthly cell phone stipend

Yearly education stipend

Team events, airship ride

Job summary

LTA Research's Baby Airship team seeks a dedicated test engineer to advance flight test operations for a sub-scale airship. You will integrate with HIL workflows, prepare tests, and analyze flight data to improve fidelity of Pathfinder 1.

You will work across Mechanical, Software, and GNC domains, developing control logic, telemetry processing, and embedded software while collaborating with cross-functional teammates. Relocation support is available.

Qualifications

• 3+ years in aerospace, robotics, or high-reliability hardware environments.
• Proficiency in Python or C++ programming.
• Hands-on experience with PX4 Flight Control Software and CAN protocols.
• Working knowledge of DC motors and ESC hardware.
• Familiarity with CAD tools for lightweight structural components.
• Ability to thrive in rapid build-test-fix iterations with cross-functional communication.

Responsibilities

• Prepare for, execute, and troubleshoot weekly flight test operations of the sub-scale airship.
• Conduct and troubleshoot hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) lab testing to validate flight software and hardware integrations.
• Analyze flight logs and data to feed performance insights back into the GNC and sub-scale simulation models.
• Design and iteration of lightweight structural components for the Baby Airship.
• Development of flight control logic, telemetry processing, or embedded systems.
• GNC: Work alongside GNC engineers to author flight test plans and analyze vehicle dynamics.

Skills

Aerospace experience

Robotics experience

Python

C++

GNC basics

Flight data analysis

Tools

PX4 Flight Control

CAN communication

CAD software

DC motors & ESC

Job description

LTA Research's Baby Airship team seeks a dedicated test engineer to advance flight test operations for a sub-scale airship. You will integrate with HIL workflows, prepare tests, and analyze flight data to improve fidelity of Pathfinder 1.

You will work across Mechanical, Software, and GNC domains, developing control logic, telemetry processing, and embedded software while collaborating with cross-functional teammates. Relocation support is available.