Flight Systems Engineer

Haast Autonomous•Pendleton, OR

About The Position

Haast Autonomous is developing an autonomous aircraft network for time-sensitive medical logistics, including long-range VTOL aircraft, autonomy software, and the operational foundation for moving critical payloads between healthcare facilities. The company is early-stage and small, and this role offers ownership in shaping its engineering process, testing discipline, partner relationships, and development from prototype to an operational network. The Flight Systems Engineer will own the systems that turn the aircraft hardware into a reliable, autonomous flying platform. The work spans autopilot configuration, avionics integration, sensors, wiring, telemetry, power distribution, failsafes, flight modes, tuning, and flight-test support. The engineer will analyze aircraft behavior, identify needed changes, and improve subsequent tests. Success includes learning the aircraft configuration, addressing key avionics and parameter issues, reviewing flight logs, and identifying reliability blockers in the first month. Within three months, the goal is to support more repeatable flight tests through improved wiring and configuration, stronger failsafes, clearer logs, and better insight into next steps.

Requirements

Experience building, tuning, testing, or flying UAVs.
Strong working knowledge of ArduPilot, PX4, or similar autopilot systems.
Comfort reading flight logs and identifying root causes.
Experience with GPS, airspeed sensors, telemetry radios, servos, ESCs, power systems, batteries, and wiring.
Ability to debug hardware issues using logs, multimeters, oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, or other necessary tools.
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.
High ownership, practicality, speed, and a low-ego startup mindset.

Nice To Haves

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.

Responsibilities

Own autopilot configuration, tuning, and flight-control setup for fixed-wing VTOL aircraft.
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 systems, connectors, and avionics layouts.
Develop and validate failsafes, geofencing, lost-link behavior, emergency procedures, and flight modes.
Review flight logs and diagnose issues involving controls, sensors, vibration, power, telemetry, configuration, or airframe behavior.
Build SITL/HITL workflows and connect simulation behavior to real aircraft operations.
Prepare aircraft for flight tests through parameter reviews, pre-flight checks, and system validation.
Collaborate with mechanical, simulation, and flight-test engineers to improve 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.