Jett Adamson is a standout example of how an ambitious, industry-led eVTOL (electric vertical take-off and landing) project is helping Sunshine Coast students gain engineering experience while progressing toward future careers.
A Year 11 home-school student, Jett is developing a scaled engineering prototype of a full-scale eVTOL aircraft – a 12:1 model with a 0.5-metre wingspan, codenamed Lorikeet.
Alongside this project, he is completing the Headstart program at UniSC, earning credit toward a university degree, and spending one day per week at MKRS as part of a paid traineeship, where he is completing a Certificate III in Engineering.
The eVTOL initiative is led by the Manufacturing Excellence Forum (MEF) – a Sunshine Coast not-for-profit headed by aeronautical engineer and UniSC Special Projects Lead Tim Kelly.
The project is designed to provide meaningful, industry-relevant experience to students while building a strong local talent pipeline for Sunshine Coast industry.
Now in its third year, the program supports around 50 students across varying levels of engagement, backed by about 27 Sunshine Coast businesses, with 10 providing direct technical mentorship.
Over the past year, 25 students have secured paid traineeships or internships through the program.
“One of the core aims here is to give students genuine, industry-relevant experience alongside their formal education, whether they’re at school or at UniSC,” Mr Kelly said.
“And we’re focused on keeping talent local – helping students either enter local industry or continue studying here at UniSC.”
Jett has now completed four generations of the 12:1 Lorikeet model, continually refining its aerodynamics, structure and systems.
Alongside this, the broader team has built a virtual-reality model of the full-scale aircraft and a static motor test rig for propulsion evaluation.
With the Lorikeet demonstrator now flying, the next priority is to complete the larger prototype, known as Magpie, a 6:1 scale aircraft with a 1-metre wingspan.
Final assembly is underway across a commercial makerspace in Warana and UniSC’s Moreton Bay campus, with flight testing to follow once verification is complete.
The envisioned full-scale eVTOL aims to transport a passenger from Maroochydore to Brisbane in around 25 minutes, with an estimated trip cost of approximately $75.
Grant funding from the Queensland Government – through the Department of Innovation and the Department of Trade, Employment and Training – has supported the project’s progress over the past two years.
Additional grant and philanthropic investment is being explored to continue advancing the program’s technical, workforce and capability-building goals.
“We’ve got a clear roadmap and we’re tracking well against it,” Mr Kelly said.
“This is as much about building a talent pipeline for our region as it is about building social awareness and acceptance of eVTOL technology so it can be deployed responsibly as the regulatory environment evolves.”
As Jett and the broader student team continue to refine, test and prototype new aircraft iterations, the Sunshine Coast’s eVTOL program is helping shape the future of advanced manufacturing and flight in Queensland – developing the skills, networks and capabilities that will have a lasting impact on industry and society.
For more information on the eVTOL project, including how to get involved, visit: mefsc.org.au/student-join-us/
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