Six things the branch actually does for members, day to day.
Meet students across different years, programs, and Carleton's other aerospace-adjacent organizations. A lot of the value of a branch like this comes from who you happen to meet — a future teammate, a co-op lead, a friend in a completely different program building the same kind of thing you are.
Point you toward people who've solved the same problem before — senior students, faculty advisors, and teammates with complementary skills in aerodynamics, structures, propulsion, electronics, and manufacturing. You don't have to debug everything alone.
As the branch grows its funding and sponsorships, that support goes toward member projects and competition teams — covering things like materials, parts, and travel costs that would otherwise come out of your own pocket.
Regular talks and casual socials throughout the year — a mix of technical seminars and low-pressure hangouts, so there's a way in whether you want to learn something specific or just meet people.
We bring in engineers, researchers, managers, pilots, and other industry professionals to talk about what their work actually looks like — and stick around afterward for the questions you can't ask in a lecture.
The branch is the on-ramp to Carleton's competition teams, starting with Design/Build/Fly. If you want hands-on experience instead of just talks, this is how you find a team and a role on it.
Membership is $37 USD a year and gets you into everything above.