VerticalFlightSystemsPurdue

HEART electric VTOL aircraft, front view

A student team that designs, builds, and flies electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft.

A VFS member carrying a subscale prototype at the flight field

Who we are

Students building real flight hardware

Vertical Flight Systems Purdue (VFS Purdue) is a student organization that started in 2017. Since then we have taken vertical-flight aircraft from a blank page through design, fabrication, and flight testing.

The team is based in the School of Aeronautics and Astronautics Engineering, and our members come from across engineering and beyond, including aerospace, electrical and computer, mechanical, and industrial engineering, along with students who handle operations and outreach. You do not need prior experience to join.

Est. 2017Founded at Purdue
NASA AwardUniversity Innovation Award · GoAERO Competition
AIAA 2026Paper at AVIATION Forum

Explore

What we do

With support from

VividCloud
NASA
Supernal
Purdue Student Fee Advisory Board
Purdue Aeronautics and Astronautics
Purdue Engineering Student Council