With over 80 active members consisting of undergraduate and graduate students across engineering, the college, and Wharton, Penn AiR fosters a diverse community interested in pushing the boundaries of sustainable, autonomous aviation.
Leadership Team
President: Avaniko is a senior from Dallas, TX, studying Mechanical Engineering and Robotics. He is 6’6″ standing on his money (club dues).VP of Operations:Tina is a senior studying chemical engineering & mechanical engineering. She is the VP of Sponsorships, and also leads the mechanical wing/tail sub team. A dedicated Rubik’s Cube athlete, she now finds herself close to retirement—because the lingering glue from aircraft manufacturing makes solving a sticky challenge.Software Lead: Ethan is a senior studying CS, Math, Music, and Robotics. He leads the software team. Outside of PennAiR, Ethan enjoys hanging out with his friends.Mechanical Lead: Ajay is a junior in MEAM and ROBO. He loves Philly sports teams!VP of Finance: Gautam Electrical Lead: Brandon
Operations Team:
Tina is a junior studying chemical engineering & mechanical engineering. She is the VP of Sponsorships, and also leads the mechanical wing/tail sub team. A dedicated Rubik’s Cube athlete, she now finds herself close to retirement—because the lingering glue from aircraft manufacturing makes solving a sticky challenge.Avaniko is a senior from Dallas, TX, studying Mechanical Engineering and Robotics. He is 6’6″ standing on his money (club dues).Apurva is a freshman from Montville, NJ studying computer science. He is a member of the operations team and is responsible for running the website. He is a avid gamer and likes to play basketball with his friends.Jeremy is a sophomore from Potomac, MD studying Electrical Engineering. He serves as the Power and Thrust Management Electrical Subteam Lead and is also a member of the Operations team, in which he leads motor and propeller testing for flight performance and designs custom in-house testing devices. Outside of PennAiR, Jeremy is an avid tennis fan and spends his summers ballboying at a professional tennis tournament.David is a senior studying computer science. He is on the software team. He plays Minecraft.Tina is a freshman studying electrical engineering and is on Operations & Electrical. She hopes to fly a plane one day.Alfred is a freshman from Philadelphia studying Mechanical Engineering. He is a member of the operations team. In his free time, he enjoys playing badminton and doing random side quests with friends.Xiangyu is a senior from Grand Rapids, MI studying Mechanical Engineering & Robotics. He oversees all projects on the team but specializes in structural design. He’s also a Magic: the Gathering collector and has a full uncut production sheet hang up on his wall!Mingni is a sophomore from Baltimore, Maryland studying computer science and economics. She is a member of the operations team. She enjoys staying up all night instead of sleeping and blasting ABBA on the stair master.Michelle is a junior from Philadelphia, PA, studying Finance. In her free time, she enjoys exploring coffee shops in the city. Did you know Michelle’s current favorite Jellycat is the Amuseables Peanut.Brandon
Software team
Ethan is a senior studying CS, Math, Music, and Robotics. He leads the software team. Outside of PennAiR, Ethan enjoys hanging out with his friends.Vaughan is a graduate student studying Data Science and a member of the software team. His name has seven letters but only one syllable.David is a senior studying computer science. He is on the software team. He plays Minecraft.Jason is a CS major in SEAS and a member of the class of 2029. He’s a member of the software team. Outside of working he enjoys playing tennis and poker.Felicia is a freshman from the Republic of Moldova studying Mathematics and Computer Science. She is part of PennAir’s software team and is mainly working on vision algorithms for simulations. She used to know multiple languages in her prime but forgot all of them and now properly speaks none.Brian is a freshman from Seattle, WA studying AI. In his free time, he enjoys playing basketball, working out, and trying new food.Kevin is a sophomore in the software team who studies computer science. He enjoys drinking milk and climbing trees.Isha is a freshman from Rockaway, NJ studying Artificial Intelligence. In her free time, Isha loves exploring center city and trying different restaurants.Avaniko is a senior from Dallas, TX, studying Mechanical Engineering and Robotics. He is 6’6″ standing on his money (club dues).Michael is freshman from Potomac, MD on the Software team majoring in Computer Science in SEAS. He enjoys utilizing the intersection of technology, data, and machine learning to perform analysis on and identify patterns in the real world, with his favorite areas being specifically in the fields of medicine and basketball. His two shoulder dislocations and subsequent surgeries are what convinced him to go from player to analyst.Tianyi is a first-year master’s student in Robotics and a member of the software team. In her spare time, she enjoys discovering new restaurants, listening to music, doing sports, and traveling.Jonathan is a freshman from Newark, DE, studying Computer Science and Electrical Engineering. He is a member of the Software subteam and is interested in computer vision and controls. Outside of meetings, he loves photography, playing badminton, and overall, has a severe case of dillydallying.Pranav is a Freshman in SEAS majoring in AI and is interested in computer vision, robotics, and autonomous systems. He also loves card games and knows how to count cards in blackjack.Belle is a sophomore on the software team and is studying computer science. In their free time, Belle likes wrecking cars, going for late night swims, and throwing ragers in the Radian lounge. If you’re looking, you can find them anywhere from a late night lock in in AGH to snowboarding at Blue Mountain.Kaitian is a first year master student majoring in Robotics. He is a member of the software team and mainly responsible for the simulation system and also designing algorithms for vision and control. He has experiences in robots in the water (Robotic fish), on the ground (F1/10 auto-racing car), in the sky (Drones and our Penn Air planes), and also on the desk (Franka arm)! He travelled to Puerto Rico last winter and begun to learn some Spanish!YuzhiFrankieVincentYanqian
Yijie
Chris
Mechanical Team
Xiangyu is a senior from Grand Rapids, MI studying Mechanical Engineering & Robotics. He oversees all projects on the team but specializes in structural design. He’s also a Magic: the Gathering collector and has a full uncut production sheet hang up on his wall!Yinjie (Kevin) is a mechanical engineering junior from Beijing, China. He is one of the mechanical leads and is responsible for managing mechanical team timelines. His face turned completely red at comp for not putting on sunscreen (fun but wasn’t fun).Ajay ShethWing/Tail Subteam Lead: Tina is a junior studying chemical engineering & mechanical engineering. She is the VP of Sponsorships, and also leads the mechanical wing/tail sub team. A dedicated Rubik’s Cube athlete, she now finds herself close to retirement—because the lingering glue from aircraft manufacturing makes solving a sticky challenge.Lily is a sophomore from Shanghai, China studying MEAM. She’s a member of the mechanical team fuselage subteam. She has 3 chinchillas and 2 turtles (both, by estimation, older than her) as pets at home 🙂ShivaniFuselage Subteam Lead: Ayan is a sophomore from San Ramon, CA studying Electrical Engineering and submatting in Robotics. He is the fuselage subteam lead (which is the best subteam). Ayan also believes (purely through estimate and without any real backing) that he is more physically fit than 90-95% of people (if you count babies and the elderly).Connor Mundheim is a freshman from Larchmont, NY studying mechanical engineering. He is a member of the mechanical team and focused on the advanced class aircraft. He is a private pilot and flew a plane alone before he drove a car alone.SunnyEnya is a freshman studying mechanical engineering. She likes writing and has been posting her thoughts publicly for 3 years.LucusJeremy is a freshman from Potomac, MD studying Electrical Engineering. He is a member of the Electrical team and is responsible for testing the motors and propellers used during flight. He is not only just a tennis fan but also ballboys for a professional tennis tournament every summer.GautamSydney is a sophomore studying computer engineering from Poughkeepsie, NY. On the electrical subteam since freshman year, she helps with circuit design, thrust testing, and optimization. She hopes to pursue a career in aerospace or the automotive industry following graduation.EliasStone is a Freshman from the Philly Suburbs studying Mechanical Engineering. He is a member of the Fuselage team helping with CAD and constructing the plane.DanielKristian is a sophomore from Philadelphia, PA, studying Computer Science. As a member of the Electrical team, he is responsible for collecting motor thrust data and crimping wires.Mohit is a sophomore from South Brunswick, NJ studying computer engineering and robotics. He is a member of the Electrical team and focuses on ESC and motor testing. He is also a CIS 1600 TA and loves doing the crossword in his free time.Aadam is a freshman from Boston, MA studying electrical engineering and math through the VIPER program. He is a member of the electrical team and is interested in system optimization, computer architecture, and signal processing. He has always wanted to learn how to fly a plane, but has not yet built up the confidence.Connor is a sophomore from San Diego, CA studying mechanical engineering. He is a member of the wing and tail subteam and the R&D subteam. His hobbies include astrophotography, photography, amateur astronomy, as well as building R/C planes.Thomas Liu is a cracked freshman from NJ studying EECS. He occasionally works on the Electrical team and assists with the development of hardware and mechanical components for both aircraft. He likes food, travel, and sports and needs to actually lock in.Electrical Subteam Lead: Brandon is a sophomore from Long Island, NY studying Finance and Electrical Engineering. He is the electrical subteam lead and is responsible for making sure all the electronics are working properly. He went to Italy last summer.Jerry is a freshman from Nashville, TN studying electrical engineering. He is a member of the electrical team and worked on the creation of both the advanced and regular class planes. He once fainted in a combination world war 2 memorial and farmer’s market while touching a weird ball.
ELECTRICAL Team
Xiangyu is a senior from Grand Rapids, MI studying Mechanical Engineering & Robotics. He oversees all projects on the team but specializes in structural design. He’s also a Magic: the Gathering collector and has a full uncut production sheet hang up on his wall!Yinjie (Kevin) is a mechanical engineering junior from Beijing, China. He is one of the mechanical leads and is responsible for managing mechanical team timelines. His face turned completely red at comp for not putting on sunscreen (fun but wasn’t fun).Ajay ShethWing/Tail Subteam Lead: Tina is a junior studying chemical engineering & mechanical engineering. She is the VP of Sponsorships, and also leads the mechanical wing/tail sub team. A dedicated Rubik’s Cube athlete, she now finds herself close to retirement—because the lingering glue from aircraft manufacturing makes solving a sticky challenge.Lily is a sophomore from Shanghai, China studying MEAM. She’s a member of the mechanical team fuselage subteam. She has 3 chinchillas and 2 turtles (both, by estimation, older than her) as pets at home 🙂ShivaniFuselage Subteam Lead: Ayan is a sophomore from San Ramon, CA studying Electrical Engineering and submatting in Robotics. He is the fuselage subteam lead (which is the best subteam). Ayan also believes (purely through estimate and without any real backing) that he is more physically fit than 90-95% of people (if you count babies and the elderly).Connor Mundheim is a freshman from Larchmont, NY studying mechanical engineering. He is a member of the mechanical team and focused on the advanced class aircraft. He is a private pilot and flew a plane alone before he drove a car alone.SunnyEnya is a freshman studying mechanical engineering. She likes writing and has been posting her thoughts publicly for 3 years.LucusJeremy is a freshman from Potomac, MD studying Electrical Engineering. He is a member of the Electrical team and is responsible for testing the motors and propellers used during flight. He is not only just a tennis fan but also ballboys for a professional tennis tournament every summer.GautamSydney is a sophomore studying computer engineering from Poughkeepsie, NY. On the electrical subteam since freshman year, she helps with circuit design, thrust testing, and optimization. She hopes to pursue a career in aerospace or the automotive industry following graduation.EliasStone is a Freshman from the Philly Suburbs studying Mechanical Engineering. He is a member of the Fuselage team helping with CAD and constructing the plane.DanielKristian is a sophomore from Philadelphia, PA, studying Computer Science. As a member of the Electrical team, he is responsible for collecting motor thrust data and crimping wires.Mohit is a sophomore from South Brunswick, NJ studying computer engineering and robotics. He is a member of the Electrical team and focuses on ESC and motor testing. He is also a CIS 1600 TA and loves doing the crossword in his free time.Aadam is a freshman from Boston, MA studying electrical engineering and math through the VIPER program. He is a member of the electrical team and is interested in system optimization, computer architecture, and signal processing. He has always wanted to learn how to fly a plane, but has not yet built up the confidence.Connor is a sophomore from San Diego, CA studying mechanical engineering. He is a member of the wing and tail subteam and the R&D subteam. His hobbies include astrophotography, photography, amateur astronomy, as well as building R/C planes.Thomas Liu is a cracked freshman from NJ studying EECS. He occasionally works on the Electrical team and assists with the development of hardware and mechanical components for both aircraft. He likes food, travel, and sports and needs to actually lock in.Electrical Subteam Lead: Brandon is a sophomore from Long Island, NY studying Finance and Electrical Engineering. He is the electrical subteam lead and is responsible for making sure all the electronics are working properly. He went to Italy last summer.Jerry is a freshman from Nashville, TN studying electrical engineering. He is a member of the electrical team and worked on the creation of both the advanced and regular class planes. He once fainted in a combination world war 2 memorial and farmer’s market while touching a weird ball.
