UAV Engineering Bootcamp 2026 at Kyiv Aviation Institute

Artem Tselikov — Sat, 28 Mar 2026 08:54:16 +0000

LEARNING APPROACH

We stand for challenge-based learning.

Every day is structured around handy tasks.

You don’t sit through long lectures; instead, you tackle real-world problems. By solving them, you come up with the theoretical knowledge, which is concise and immediately applicable.

EXAMPLES OF ENGINEERING TASKS

Adjust the stabilisation settings so that the drone does not start to oscillate.
Explain why it starts to ‘wobble’ under certain settings.
Collect data from the IMU and GPS, compare them, and understand why they do not match.
Make the position estimate more stable.
Select a propeller-motor assembly to suit the specified weight.
Test the thrust on a test bench and estimate the flight time.
Identify the cause of system instability following integration.
Distinguish between hardware issues and algorithmic issues.

The role of teachers/mentors in the summer school programme is to demonstrate a way of thinking and help co-create solutions, rather than simply ‘going through the material’.

PROGRAME TRACKS

Design and Manufacturing (Airframe / Manufacturing)
CAD, aerodynamics, structural integrity, composites, sandwich panels, vibrations, balancing, manufacturing (laser, CNC)
Propulsion / Power
Motor-propeller groups, propellers, thrust, thrust-to-weight ratio, ESCs, batteries (LiPo), power consumption, onboard power supply, thrust stand, efficiency, thermal management, flight time
Avionics & Flight Control Systems
ArduPilot, PX4, Betaflight, Mission Planner, QGroundControl, PID tuning, telemetry, IMU, sensor calibration, stabilization, oscillations, Blackbox, logging, flight dynamics modeling
State Estimation & Navigation
GPS, IMU, Kalman filter, sensor fusion, error, drift, position estimation, localization, waypoints, missions, fail-safe logic, Return-to-Launch (RTL)
Communications
– MAVLink, telemetry, UART, I2C, SPI, ExpressLRS (ELRS), RF links, RF hardware setup, link parameters, latency, packet loss, RSSI, noise immunity
– Radio wave propagation, radiation patterns, gain, antenna types (omnidirectional, directional, log-periodic), ground and onboard antennas
– SWR (Standing Wave Ratio), VNA, Fresnel zones, RF field measurements, signal penetration through obstacles, environmental impact
– Mesh networks, relaying, network topologies, communication coverage and scalability
Integration / Testing
flight testing, telemetry, logging, fault analysis, system integration

THIS IS WHAT THE BOOTCAMP LOOKS LIKE FROM THE INSIDE:

WHO IS IT FOR?

– We invite Bachelor’s and Master’s students from Danish technical universities as participants
– We invite PhDs and professors from Danish technical universities as mentors and teachers

In addition to student participation, we invite professors to join the Bootcamp in person and contribute by delivering lectures within the existing tracks or proposing their own topics aligned with the programme.

The Bootcamp also creates space for networking and exchange with Ukrainian researchers, industry partners, and students, with potential for future academic collaboration and partnerships.

This is NOT a beginner’s course on unmanned aerial vehicles and systems.

If you’re looking to do more than just ‘assemble and fly a drone’, but really want to understand why it flies (or doesn’t fly) — apply now.

STAGES OF APPLICATION AND THE SELECTION PROCESS FOR NON-UKRAINIAN PARTICIPANTS

Complete Registration Form I. By 5 May
Take the entrance test, which will be sent to your email. By 10 May
If the previous stages are successful, we will send you an extended Registration Form II for participation in the summer school, including this year’s detailed programme. By 20 May
Apply for tuition fee compenstation. By 15 May
Online component (3 hours per week). 8–26 June.
In-person component (9 days from 9:00 to 18:00). 29 June–7 July

PRICE AND TERMS

In 2026, the Bootcamp expands beyond Ukraine, offering a special invitation exclusively for students and PhD from Danish technical universities.

Stage 1 (registration and entrance assessment): free of charge

Stage 2 (online and in-person in June and July): €80

The price includes: the course programme, two meals a day for 9 days, consumables for laboratory work. Travel and accommodation to Kyiv are at the participants’ own expense.

Not included:

Travel to/from Kyiv (your expense, ~€170–360)
Accommodation (~€20–60/night)
Travel & health insurance (your responsibility)

FULL REFUND if you withdraw after receiving the detailed programme (by May 20) or if KAI cancels due to security reasons.

Insurance: You must obtain travel/health insurance that explicitly covers Ukraine (many standard European policies exclude conflict zones). We will send guidance after pre-registration.

TRAVEL AND ACCOMMODATION SUPPORT

Travel is organised as a group. The Danish cohort travels together — we help you purchase tickets, coordinate the itinerary, and accompany you from the Ukrainian border to Kyiv (and back). This makes the journey much easier for first-time visitors.

Outline route:

25 June — Flight Denmark → Poland (because Ukraine’s airspace is closed to civilian flights)
26–27 June — Overnight train Poland → Kyiv (or a bus)
28 June — Free day in Kyiv, group pre-party
29 June – 7 July — Bootcamp on-site
8 July evening or 9 July daytime — Return

ESTIMATED COST (round-trip, per person): €170–360 depending on booking date.
Final dates and prices by MAY 30. Ticket purchases coordinated by us.

Accommodation is at participants’ own expense (~€20–60/night). We provide a curated list of options near KAI, all within walking distance of a bomb shelter.

KAI Innovation