UF Branch Officers:
President – Robert Herring
Email: president.aerogators@gmail.com
Vice President – Mark Cartee
Email: vp.aerogators@gmail.com
Treasurer – Orlando Hurtado
Email: treasurer.aerogators@gmail.com
Secretary – Daniel Espinoza
Email: secretary.aerogators@gmail.com
Faculty Advisor:
Bruce Welt
Email: bwelt@ufl.edu
Purpose and Mission
Aerogators is dedicated to giving students from any major or background hands on experience in the Aerospace and Aviation field. Through time spent building and designing aircraft we aim to prepare students for industry by enabling them to apply techniques learned in the classroom, and master new skills that will be of lifelong value.
History and Goals
Aerogators has successfully completed its 4 year journey to construct its first aircraft: The Excalibur. This year we are looking to start a different project which will bring new excitement and opportunities for our members. We will be building a quad-style part 103 powered paraglider from the ground up, to compete against other schools this coming summer. Fall semester will be spent designing our aircraft and raising funds, and in spring construction will commence. After construction we will rigorously test the aircraft’s performance characteristics are ready for the Florida based competition.
Join Us
We accept members from any and all majors as aircraft design and construction requires a wide range of skills. Some of the tasks we face include: cockpit user experience design, financial management, avionics creation, aviation law and regulation application, metal work, air frame design, and suspension/steering design.
Onboarding is simple; just show up! New members will be assigned to a team that matches their area of interest, and learning happens through doing in our club. Within our organization there are a large number of design and construction lead positions available. Lead spaces are a great way to gain experience and look excellent on our member’s resumes. They will be awarded based on experience, interest, and dedication.
We hope that our club members will learn a variety of skills that will make them truly stand out to potential employers, while also being useful in their day to day lives. We also aim to foster a community not only around aerospace but also aviation in general.
