What You'll Actually Do
Design & Engineer
Design and optimize physical car elements using CAD tools and simulation data. Engineering decisions directly shape on-track outcomes.
Build Your Brand
Build a real brand, secure partnerships, and manage finances. Business is not supplementary — it is essential to how your organization operates.
Compete
FPV-piloted vehicles compete on custom tracks with data-informed decisions. No team can win on car performance alone — strategy and execution carry equal weight.
“No. FTAD is designed to develop your skills from the ground up. What matters is your willingness to commit, contribute, and grow within a team.”
Roles in FTAD are functional, not fixed. Students contribute across engineering, commercial, and competition disciplines. You do not need a background in any of them — you need the discipline to develop one.
How a Season Works
The program follows a two-year cycle. Year one emphasizes experimentation and building. Year two focuses on optimization and peak performance.
Experimentation & Building
Teams establish their chapter structure, define team roles, and produce their first vehicle build. The emphasis is on learning the FTAD system, forming cohesion, and completing a full season cycle for the first time.
Optimization & Peak Performance
With foundation established, teams refine every system. Builds are iterated, commercial strategy is elevated, and the focus shifts to extracting maximum performance on and off the track.
What You Walk Away With
- 01
Technical expertise beyond classroom simulations
- 02
Leadership experience and organizational knowledge
- 03
A portfolio built under competitive conditions
- 04
Tangible evidence of authentic leadership that admissions teams recognize as substantive achievement
Hear from the Grid
“The competition was about whether your entire team can pull something off together. The car is just where it all shows up.”
FTAD Student
FTAD ChapterCommon Questions
No. FTAD is designed to develop your skills from the ground up. What matters is your willingness to commit, contribute, and grow within a team.
You can establish one with school administration. FTAD supplies structure, rules, and support to launch new chapters.
Yes. Roles in FTAD are functional, not fixed. Many students contribute across disciplines, and teams are encouraged to develop well-rounded members.
The program follows a two-year cycle: Year one emphasizes experimentation and building; Year two focuses on optimization and peak performance.
Beyond technical expertise, participants gain leadership experience, organizational knowledge, and a portfolio built under competitive conditions.
FTAD provides a tangible portfolio demonstrating authentic leadership roles, engineering projects, and competition outcomes — elements admissions teams recognize as substantive achievement.
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