Students and schoolchildren can now learn about drones and design their own projects in a new educational engineering space.
The “AVIA Lab” aviation modeling laboratory has been launched at the National University “Kyiv Aviation Institute” in collaboration with Athlon Avia, a leading Ukrainian manufacturer of aircraft-type UAVs.
As part of the program, students study aviation models, build their own prototypes to familiarize themselves with different designs, develop projects, practice flights, and hold competitions in the university’s hangar. More than 60 students have already completed the first training session.
emphasizes the head of R&D at Athlon Avia.“Model aircraft building is the first step into the complex but incredibly fascinating world of engineering, aerodynamics, composite materials, electronics, and control systems. Very often, it all starts with a passion, an interest, and a desire to build something with your own hands. And model aircraft building is the perfect environment for that. Here, you can make mistakes, experiment, and come up with new ideas,”
The second training group recently began at the lab. More than 30 students have joined the program—not only students from Kyiv Aviation Institute, but also representatives from other universities and even high school students interested in model aircraft. The youngest participant in the group is a 13-year-old 7th grader.
Ksenia Semenova, president of KAI; Serhiy Dulenko, head of the laboratory; and Kyrylo Savchenko, partnership manager at Atlon Aviation, attended the opening of the second cohort.
noted Ksenia Semenova.“Kyiv Aviation University creates opportunities not only for its own students. In the second intake, we intentionally reserved half of the spots for students from other universities—we’ve been joined by students from the Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute, Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, and KSE. Training top-notch aviation engineers begins with aerodynamics and airframes. Always,”
For Athlon Avia, the development of engineering education is part of its long-term strategy. After all, given today’s challenges, there is a constantly growing demand for engineers who can work with unmanned systems.
notes Kyrylo Savchenko, Partnership Manager at Athlon Avia.“We believe that one of the hubs where the future of Ukrainian aviation is taking shape is university laboratories, where students and high schoolers have the opportunity not only to learn but also to develop their own solutions. That is why our company launches and supports such initiatives as an environment where a new generation of engineers is being shaped,”
At the same time, preparations have begun for the next phase of the Laboratory project’s development: renovation work began last week at the KAI facility. The space is planned to be equipped with modern equipment, which will allow students to conduct full-scale research and engineering work.
Learn more about “AVIA Lab”:
https://innovation.kai.edu.ua/2025/12/02/avia-lab/
https://www.instagram.com/avia.lab.kai/
Athlon Avia:
