Education

Teaching activities

Cargoswift is a student engineering project at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, CTU in Prague. We learn by building — connecting theory from the lecture hall with real aircraft design, software development, and the discipline of running a long-term technical project.

Project work

Applied aerospace engineering

Students do not only study aircraft on paper — they design structures, build prototypes, and test solutions in a real team with real deadlines.

Cargoswift brings together students from across the faculty — construction, electronics, software, and aviation — in one multidisciplinary project. Everyone works on a shared platform with shared goals, learning how aerospace products are actually developed outside the classroom.

From initial concept sketches to load calculations, composite work, and ground testing, our members gain hands-on experience that lecture assignments alone cannot provide. Mistakes in the workshop teach the same lessons as a failed simulation — only faster.

  • Real aircraft design, prototyping, and structural work
  • Cross-institute collaboration within FS ÄŚVUT
  • Project management in a long-running engineering team
Cargoswift aircraft render
From concept to airframe — engineering learned in practice.
Software

Autonomous flight systems

Modern aerospace is as much software as hardware. We teach navigation, mission planning, and control systems through code that must work when the aircraft leaves the ground.

Students working on Cargoswift software learn to think in systems — sensor inputs, decision logic, communication protocols, and human-machine interfaces that operators rely on in the field. Development follows the same iteration cycle as industry: prototype, test, document, improve.

Whether the focus is autonomous navigation, fleet coordination, or simulation environments, members build transferable skills in embedded systems, Python, C++, and the engineering mindset required to ship reliable flight software.

  • Navigation, mission planning, and flight control development
  • Simulation and field testing of autonomous systems
  • Software practices: versioning, documentation, code review
Students learning drone and aviation systems
Flight software developed and tested by students on the team.
Outreach

Passing knowledge on

What we learn in Cargoswift does not stay inside the team. We present at faculty events, mentor newcomers, and help students prepare for certification exams in drone operations.

Cargoswift team presenting at a faculty event

Public demos and conference presentations are part of how we close the loop between learning and sharing. Explaining a technical result to an audience — students, faculty, or industry partners — forces clarity and builds communication skills every engineer needs.

We also run internal training and preparation courses for A1/A3 and A2 drone certification exams, giving FS students access to aviation qualifications at a fraction of typical market cost. Teaching others reinforces our own understanding of legislation, safety, and operational responsibility.

  • Faculty presentations and public technology demos
  • Mentoring new members and junior students
  • A1/A3 and A2 exam preparation for team and students

The best classroom is a project that has to fly — and a team that has to make it work together.

See our events and courses