Akku Kumar
Aviation is my Passion
Building the future of flight — from air transportation to GA to drones — and much more
Areas of Interest
01
Air Transportation Innovation
Building technology to optimize operations, gather more data, and improve the customer experience.
02
Vertical Flight Research
Designing the next generation of VTOL-capable autonomous aircraft to reach new places.
03
Broader Impacts of Technology
Helping the community by setting policy, teaching the next generation, and conserving the environment.
Air Transportation
As an ardent traveler who’s been to 30 countries and all 7 continents 50 states, and 429 national parks, Akku has been on 100+ flights and has spent hours in airports. Personally feeling the hassles of air transportation — delays, long lines, missed connections — he wanted to help improve the system. But an aerospace engineering and computer science student, he didn’t just dream.
He is doing it right now.
He started his aviation technology company, Arrow Analytics. in college and has since worked with Southwest Airlines, multiple airports, and the FAA. Combining programming and aerospace knowledge with a keen business sense, he is working to become a major player in the aviation industry.
Vertical Flight
When Akku first thought of being an aerospace engineer, he thought only of space travel. That is, of course, until he built and automated his first drone. Seeing the fruits of his labor in flight made him realize a lot of fun is to be had well within the atmosphere.
That’s when his passion took flight.
Now, he has been able to help create several drones as a NSF Graduate Fellow and MS student at Texas A&M University, as well as intern at Bell Helicopter. He also started the TAMU Vertical Flight Society chapter and led his group to victory in an international competition during his first year. He also helped found, and is currently the treasurer of, the National VFS Student Council, where he seeks to establish a reliable source of funding for student programs nationwide.
3
Projects In Progress
4
Aircraft Built
100+
Flights Taken
$6K+
Funding Raised