Internship- UAV Pilot & Flight Operations

About this role

OPENING: WE CANNOT PROVIDE VISA SPONSORSHIP

DETAILS

Preferred starting date: 1st August or 1st September onwards

Weekly availability: Full-time (5 days/week)

Period: 6 months

Location: Delft, the Netherlands

ABOUT THE COMPANY

Fiducial is a young but fast-growing deep-tech start-up with big ambitions at the frontier of autonomy, perception, and defence. Currently, we are developing software for advanced onboard UAV situational awareness in military applications. Using low-cost and widely available sensors and compute, our solutions are built for scalability. From there, we plan to develop a line-up of interconnected solutions to safeguard European safety.

Our team consists of engineers who are passionate about the technology and solutions they develop. The only time most of us are not thinking about the technology is when we are asleep, and sometimes even then. Our team members come from different backgrounds such as Aerospace Engineering, Computational Science and Engineering, Robotics, and Computer Graphics. Our office is located in the Aerospace Innovation Hub, a start-up hub on the TU Delft campus in the Faculty of Aerospace Engineering.

We work closely with top-tier partners, ranging from government agencies and prime contractors to academic research institutes and other start-ups. Our projects span from large tender orders in collaboration with partners to low-TRL research with government agencies. Whether through formal R&D programs or rapid prototyping tracks, we operate at the intersection of innovation and deployment.

YOUR ROLE

If you are the kind of person who enjoys being on the sticks, knows how to prepare a platform for flight, and likes making sure UAV systems are always ready to go, this internship is designed for you.

We are looking for a UAV Pilot & Flight Operations Intern who is first and foremost excited about piloting and operating UAV platforms. This role is not limited to FPV systems, although FPV experience is highly valued. You will also work with other platforms such as multirotors including the Holybro X650 and fixed-wing aircraft.

Your main responsibility is to make sure our UAV platforms are flight-ready at all times. That means not only flying, but also checking, maintaining, preparing, troubleshooting, and improving the systems before and after flight operations.

This is not a desk-only internship. You will spend time around real aircraft, in the workshop, and in the field. You will pilot, test, inspect, and help ensure our drone platforms can be deployed reliably and safely.

WHAT YOU’LL DO

- Pilot and operate UAV platforms in test and R&D environments.

- Support flight operations across multiple platform types, including: - FPV drones - multirotor systems such as the Holybro X650 - fixed-wing UAVs

- Ensure platforms are flight-ready at all times through structured pre-flight, post-flight, and maintenance routines.

- Perform system checks on airframes, propulsion systems, power systems, RC links, telemetry, payloads, and onboard compute.

- Prepare platforms for test days by charging batteries, checking logs, verifying configurations, updating firmware where needed, and confirming component health.

- Troubleshoot flight readiness issues quickly and methodically.

- Help maintain and improve standard operating procedures for flight preparation, field deployment, and recovery.

- Assist with setup and tuning of flight controllers such as ArduPilot, Betaflight and related ground control workflows.

- Work hands-on with onboard systems including compute boards such as Jetson, Orange Pi, and associated sensors.

- Support deployment and field testing of embedded perception and autonomy software.

- Solder, assemble, repair, and prototype wiring, adapters, mounts, and housings when needed.

- 3D-print parts and contribute to practical workshop solutions that improve reliability and ease of deployment.

- Participate in outdoor test campaigns, collect observations, and communicate technical issues clearly with the engineering team.

- Help keep our platforms organized, maintained, documented, and ready for rapid iteration.

WHO YOU ARE

- You have experience flying UAVs, RC aircraft, or FPV systems.

- You are genuinely excited about piloting and flight operations.

- You care about making systems reliable, safe, and ready to fly.

- You enjoy practical technical work and solving real hardware problems.

- You are comfortable taking responsibility for the condition and readiness of physical platforms.

- You like working in the field as much as in the workshop.

- Linux does not scare you.

- You are independent, curious, organized, and resourceful.

- You are able to work carefully and consistently, especially when preparing systems for flight.

- We care much more about what you have built, flown, maintained, or fixed than about grades.

- You have a driver’s license

- Drone pilot license or similar flight certification

NICE TO HAVE

These are strong pluses, but not strict requirements:

- Experience with FPV systems

- Experience with multirotor UAVs and/or fixed-wing platforms

- Familiarity with ArduPilot, Betaflight, or other flight controller ecosystems

- Experience with Holybro, Pixhawk-based systems, ESCs, power distribution, telemetry radios, or RC links

- Experience with onboard compute such as Jetson or Orange Pi

- Soldering and electronics debugging skills

- 3D printing, CAD, or rapid prototyping experience

- Basic embedded software or robotics experience

- Experience with field testing and flight logs

PLEASE INCLUDE

When applying, please include photos, videos, or links to things that show us you actually build, fly, or maintain systems. For example:

- drone builds

- FPV rigs

- multirotor or fixed-wing platforms

- workshop or field setup

- electronics projects

- CAD or 3D-printed parts

- GitHub repositories

- fl

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