Mechanical Engineering Intern - Fall 2026

About the Internship We’re looking for curious, driven, and hands‑on mechanical engineering students who want to learn from a team of engineers, builders, and innovators redefining what’s possible in aviation. As a Mechanical Engineering Intern at Pyka, you’ll be embedded directly with the Mechanical Engineering team — contributing to real aircraft hardware, supporting the entire design cycle, and learning firsthand how we take complex electromechanical systems from concept to field deployment. You’ll gain real‑world experience working on active projects, collaborating across engineering, manufacturing, and testing teams, and seeing how hardware, software, and operations all come together to bring our autonomous electric aircraft to life. Why This Internship Is Unique Pyka’s Mechanical Engineering team handles the same volume of hardware work as teams 10x the size — which means you’ll see and touch more types of parts, subsystems, tools, and tests in one summer than many interns get in several years. This is a fast‑paced, highly collaborative environment where you’ll have real ownership and real impact. What You’ll Do Support the design, prototyping, testing, and iteration of mechanical components and assemblies Assist in validating environmental and performance requirements for aircraft parts and materials Help investigate, root‑cause, and develop solutions for hardware issues discovered during flight testing or field operations Create or update 3D CAD models, drawings, and documentation under the guidance of Mechanical Engineers Collaborate with Manufacturing Engineers on improving build processes, tooling, and manufacturability Conduct hands‑on testing, research, or analysis to support project milestones Present findings or project outcomes at the end of your internship What We’re Looking For Students currently pursuing a degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related field A genuine interest in electric aviation, robotics, mechanical design, or sustainability Strong problem‑solving skills, curiosity, and willingness to dive into complex technical challenges Comfort getting hands‑on in the shop — building, testing, iterating Familiarity with 3D CAD (SolidWorks, NX, Inventor, or similar) Bonus: exposure to FEA, composite materials, 3D printing, CNC machining, or rapid prototyping We understand that candidates bring different strengths and experiences, and you don’t need to meet every qualification to be considered. If this role excites you, we’d love to learn more about you. You may be a great fit even if your background doesn’t align perfectly with the list Why You’ll Love It Here Work on actual flight‑critical hardware (not hypothetical student projects) Join a small, passionate team building something world‑changing Learn directly from senior engineers with deep aerospace, robotics, and manufacturing experience Daily exposure to cutting‑edge electromechanical systems — including carbon‑fiber airframes, electric propulsion, avionics, and autonomy Experience the full lifecycle of hardware development at a rapidly scaling aerospace startup Compensation And Benefits $28 hourly pay. Compensation will vary depending on location, job‑related knowledge, skills, and experience. Hourly wage ranges are subject to change Employer‑sponsored health, dental and vision insurance Paid holidays, generous PTO, and additional unpaid time off Pre‑tax commuter benefits Free catered lunch and plenty of snacks Export Control Requirements This position requires access to technology, software and other information that is subject to governmental access control restrictions, due to export controls. Employment in this position is conditioned on the continued availability of government authorization to authorize release of such items, to the extent required, including without limitation an export license, or other documentation required to establish authorization to receive access to such items. Company may delay commencement of employment, rescind an offer of employment, terminate employment, and/or may modify job responsibilities, compensation, benefits, and/or access to Company facilities and information systems, as Company deems appropriate, in order to ensure compliance with applicable government access control restrictions. #J-18808-Ljbffr Pyka