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ENGINEERING
HOW WE BUILD AIRCRAFT ONLINE
Arrow designs and builds aircraft through distributed collaboration. Engineers from around the world contribute to our projects using modern tools that make hardware development feel more like open source software.
This is how we do it.
MEETINGS
WEEKLY ENGINEERING SYNC
Tuesdays, 1800 UTC
Voice chat on Discord. Project updates, technical discussions, and problem solving. Casual but focused. Recordings posted for those who can't make it.
DESIGN REVIEWS
Scheduled as needed. We jump into VR or screenshare to review CAD models together. It's surprisingly effective—better than looking at a screen alone.
ASYNC EVERYTHING ELSE
Most communication happens in Discord text channels. Work on your own schedule. Post updates, ask questions, share progress. We're spread across timezones so async is the default.
SOFTWARE & TOOLS
CAD
Fusion 360 or OnShape
Both have free tiers. Files live on GitHub. We can all open, fork, and improve each other's designs.
ELECTRONICS
KiCad for circuit boards
PlatformIO for firmware
All open source, all on GitHub.
SIMULATION
Fusion 360 FEA for structural analysis
XFLR5 for aerodynamics
Custom Python scripts for flight dynamics
We simulate heavily before building. Saves time and money.
COLLABORATION
GitHub — All our designs, code, and docs
Discord — Daily communication
Notion — Long-form documentation
Spatial/VR tools — 3D design reviews
→ See our GitHub | → Read the docs
HOW TO CONTRIBUTE
1. PICK SOMETHING
Browse open issues on GitHub. Look for tags like good-first-issue or help-wanted. Or propose something new.
2. FORK AND BUILD
Clone the repo. Make your changes. Test them. CAD, code, documentation—it all works the same way.
3. SUBMIT A PULL REQUEST
Push your changes and open a PR. Explain what you did and why. Include photos, test results, or renders.
4. REVIEW AND MERGE
Community reviews your work. Discussion happens in the PR. Once approved, it merges into the main project.
That's it. Same workflow as software, but for aircraft.
→ Contribution guide | → Design standards
TESTING
We test everything before it flies.
Simulation → Bench testing → Ground testing → Flight testing
Flight tests are live-streamed when possible. The whole community watches and learns together.
→ Safety protocols | → Test procedures
BUILDING HARDWARE
PROTOTYPE BUILDS
When a design is ready, we coordinate a build. Sometimes in person at a meetup. Sometimes distributed—multiple people building the same design in their own workshops and streaming it.
YOUR OWN BUILD
You can manufacture any of our designs locally. Follow the instructions, document your results, and share what you learn. Improvements flow back to the community via pull requests.
→ Assembly instructions | → Bill of materials
QUESTIONS?
“Do I need to be an aerospace engineer?”
No. We have mechanical engineers, software developers, students, and hobbyists. If you're willing to learn, you can contribute.
“What if I don't have expensive tools?”
Most design work happens in software. Manufacturing can be done with basic tools or on-demand services. We optimize for accessibility.
“How much time do I need to commit?”
However much you want. Some people contribute daily. Others drop in once a month. Both are valuable.
“Can I get paid?”
We have a treasury that funds contributors through bounties and grants. Active contributors earn tokens. → Learn about governance