Haast Autonomous is building an autonomous aircraft network for time-sensitive medical logistics. We’re developing long-range VTOL aircraft, autonomy software, and the operational foundation needed to move critical payloads between hospitals, labs, and healthcare facilities on-demand faster and more reliably.

We’re early, small, and moving quickly. Joining Haast means more than filling a role — it means helping set the company culture and the foundation for how we build aircraft, runs flight tests, designs safety systems, works with healthcare partners, and turns prototypes into a real logistics network.

We’re looking for high-agency people who want ownership, urgency, and system-level impact from day one.

About the Role

As a Flight Controls & Avionics Engineer at Haast, you’ll own the systems that turn our aircraft from hardware into a reliable autonomous flying platform.

You’ll work across autopilot setup, avionics integration, sensors, wiring, telemetry, power distribution, failsafes, flight modes, tuning, and flight-test support. You’ll be the person helping us understand why the aircraft behaved a certain way, what needs to change, and how to make the next test better.

This is one of the most important technical roles at Haast. Reliability starts here.

What You’ll Do

Own autopilot configuration, tuning, and flight-control setup for fixed-wing VTOL aircraft.
Work with ArduPilot, PX4, Mission Planner, QGroundControl, MAVLink, or similar systems.
Integrate GPS, airspeed sensors, telemetry radios, RC links, ADS-B, payload sensors, servos, ESCs, and other avionics.
Design, build, and debug wiring harnesses, power distribution, connectors, and avionics layouts.
Develop and validate failsafes, geofencing, lost-link behavior, emergency procedures, and flight modes.
Review flight logs and diagnose issues related to controls, sensors, vibration, power, telemetry, configuration, or airframe behavior.
Support SITL/HITL workflows and connect simulation behavior to real aircraft behavior.
Prepare aircraft for flight tests through parameter reviews, pre-flight checks, and system validation.
Work closely with mechanical, simulation, and flight-test engineers to improve aircraft reliability.
Document avionics architecture, wiring diagrams, parameter changes, test results, and lessons learned.
Help build the controls and avionics foundation for a scalable autonomous aircraft network.

What We’re Looking For

Experience building, tuning, testing, or flying UAVs.
Strong working knowledge of ArduPilot, PX4, or similar autopilot systems.
Comfortable reading flight logs and identifying root causes.
Experience with GPS, airspeed sensors, telemetry radios, servos, ESCs, power systems, batteries, and wiring.
Ability to debug real hardware issues using logs, multimeters, oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, or whatever tool gets the answer.
Good understanding of flight modes, control loops, sensor behavior, and aircraft dynamics.
Hands-on ability with soldering, crimping, wiring, bench testing, and field troubleshooting.
Strong safety judgment and calm decision-making during test operations.
Startup mindset: high ownership, practical, fast, low ego.

Nice to Have

Experience with fixed-wing VTOL aircraft.
Experience with larger UAVs, long-range UAVs, or logistics aircraft.
Experience with BVLOS preparation, Remote ID, ADS-B, detect-and-avoid, or FAA test environments.
Experience debugging vibration, EMI, GPS multipath, noisy power, or sensor dropouts.
Python, MATLAB, or scripting experience for flight-log analysis.
Experience with redundant avionics, safety cases, or aviation-grade documentation.

What Success Looks Like

Within your first month, you’ll understand the current aircraft configuration, clean up key avionics and parameter issues, review past flight logs, and identify the biggest reliability blockers.

Within three months, Haast should be running more repeatable flight tests with better wiring, cleaner configuration, stronger failsafes, clearer logs, and a much better understanding of what the aircraft needs next.

Who You Are

You like making aircraft actually fly better. You enjoy the loop of testing, reviewing logs, finding the real issue, changing the right thing, and seeing the next flight improve.

You’re not afraid of messy prototypes or field debugging. You’re practical, careful, and fast. You know that with aircraft, “probably fine” is not good enough.

Location

This role is hands-on and will require regular onsite work with the aircraft, prototype shop, and flight-test team. Onsite or relocation is strongly preferred.

Compensation

Competitive cash compensation plus meaningful early-stage equity. Final compensation will depend on experience, seniority, and role structure.

How to Apply

Send your resume and a short note about UAVs, aircraft, avionics, controls, or flight-test systems you’ve worked on. Include any examples of autopilot setups, flight logs, wiring, avionics integration, test campaigns, or aircraft you personally helped get flying.

Flight Controls & Avionics Engineer