Senior helps develop next-generation aviation technology

March 31, 2022 — by Serena Li and Daniel Wu
Senior Sajiv Shah holding a glider during a glider competition for new hires during his first week at WhisperAero.
Senior Sajiv Shah works as a Mechanical Engineer at the aerospace startup WhisperAero, and is aiming to revolutionize travel

As a child, senior Sajiv Shah’s favorite pastime was driving with his father 40 minutes to San Francisco International Airport and watching airplanes take off on the parallel runways and soar into the sky. 

“Planespotting helped shape me and my interests, and kindled my passion for aviation and engineering,” Shah said.

His childhood fascination with aviation inspired him to work as a mechanical engineer at WhisperAero, a private aerospace startup that tackles various issues currently plaguing the aviation industry, such as noise pollution and environmental impacts.

Hoping to gain valuable workplace experience, he applied to 10 engineering-related startups in December. He accepted the job offer to become a mechanical engineer with WhisperAero after his brother, Class of 2020 alumnus Dhruv Shah, referred him to the company.

WhisperAero, a small private company with roughly 20 employees, quickly took note of Shah’s technical abilities. He was the president of the MSET Robotics Team before he stepped down, helping lead the team to the FRC Worlds last year.

Shah was drawn to WhisperAero due to the company’s goal of revolutionizing the way people travel. Traditionally, commercial aircraft are highly fuel-inefficient and extraordinarily expensive, but WhisperAero’s model utilizes small, electric vertical take-off airplanes capable of operating out of small regional airports.

According to Shah, there are about 5,000 small airports across California and neighboring states that are underutilized. WhisperAero hopes to facilitate small taxi-like flights and unlock the potential of these airstrips on a low emission and cost model.

“If you’re ever driving up past San Jose, you’ll pass by the Hiller Aviation Museum and notice a small unused airstrip there,” Shah said. “Now, imagine it being repurposed to run routine flights down to Los Angeles. That’s what WhisperAero hopes can become a reality.” 

His role inside the company involves analyzing mechanical systems including propulsion and aerodynamics. Currently, WhisperAero is developing a quiet propulsion system aimed at tackling the ever-present issue of noise pollution generated by aircraft.

Because WhisperAero is based in Crossville, Tenn., Shah works mostly from a remote setting and dedicates roughly a week out of every month to fly there for hands-on work with the hardware team, including analyzing propulsion systems and improving efficiency, along with business aspects such as fundraising.

“I’ve really been enjoying the experience of traveling to the headquarters. Everyone is super driven and some even live on campus. It almost feels like a family in a way,” Shah said.

Given the time commitment necessary for his job, Shah has decided to take a gap year following graduation, a choice in line with his belief that at this point, he can learn more in a real job than in the classroom.

Aside from working for WhisperAero, Sajiv hopes to pursue personal interests, including earning a private pilot’s license and working on side projects such as drones and mobile robots in his year away from college.

“Right now, it’s a bit early to say what I think I’ll be doing in the future, but I think my passion for electric aviation serves as a stepping stone,” Shah said.

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