SDSU Senior — Graduating May 2026 2 Active Projects Incoming @ True Anomaly — Summer 2026

Aerospace Engineer · Systems Thinker · Builder

Luke R.
Horton

Aerospace engineering senior at SDSU, graduating May 2026. Incoming Program Manager Intern at True Anomaly this summer. I work at the intersection of performance analysis, vehicle design, and hands-on prototype development — from carrier-based strike fighter concepts to ground-effect vehicles built from scratch.

Luke Horton
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Engineer by training,
builder by nature.

I'm an aerospace engineering senior at SDSU, graduating May 2026. My work spans flight performance analysis for a conceptual carrier-based strike aircraft, hands-on prototype development of a ground-effect vehicle, and structural engineering for sounding rockets.

Beyond the classroom, I bring practical experience as a sales engineering intern, and leadership running a 170+ member organization with a $200K+ annual budget — driving measurable gains in performance and earning institutional recognition.

I'm most at home on problems that live at the intersection of analysis and physical design — where MATLAB models meet test data and engineering drawings meet the shop floor.

May '26
B.S. Aerospace Eng.
170+
Members Led
3+
Engineering Orgs
$200K
Budget Managed

Featured work.

Aleborne carrier-based strike fighter — 3-view engineering drawing
AE 460A · Senior Capstone

Aleborne — Carrier Strike Fighter

Conceptual design of a next-generation Navy carrier-based strike aircraft. Led performance analysis, physics-based sizing models, and flight envelope development from mission requirements through PDR.

  • RolePerformance Lead & Systems Engineer
  • AnalysisDrag polar · T/W–W/S trades · V-n envelope (MIL-A-8861B) · OEI · T/O & landing
  • EnvelopeVC = 903 ft/s · VD = 1,129 ft/s · nlim = 7.5g / −3.0g
  • ToolsMATLAB · SolidWorks · Excel sizing models
View Project Site →
WIG vehicle wing assembly with carbon fiber spar
AE 403W · Senior Design

Wing in Ground Effect Vehicle

RC-scale WIG prototype designed, built, and tested from scratch. Led the full project cycle — airfoil selection, XFLR5 aerodynamic analysis comparing in-ground-effect vs. out-of-ground-effect conditions, and assembly of a 3D-printed/carbon-fiber structure with Pixhawk flight control.

  • RoleProject Manager
  • WingFX 63-137 · AR = 5.4 · 5.4 ft span · 15° anhedral winglets
  • AvionicsPixhawk 6C · PX4 · LiDAR altimeter · 4× distributed motors
  • ToolsSolidWorks · XFLR5 · Pixhawk PX4
View Project Site →

Where I've contributed.

Summer 2026

Program Manager Intern

True Anomaly · Denver, CO

Supporting the execution of space-based capability programs by tracking schedules and risks, building data visualizations of project health, and coordinating across engineering and operations teams in the aerospace and defense sector.

Fall 2025 — Spring 2026

Performance Lead & Systems Engineer

Next-Gen Carrier-Based Strike Fighter (Aleborne) · SDSU Senior Capstone

Led flight performance analysis for a conceptual Navy carrier-based strike aircraft. Translated mission and carrier requirements into verification-style metrics, owned weight estimation, wing sizing, and T/O and landing analyses, and coordinated with subsystem leads to deliver PDR technical memos.

Built and validated physics-based sizing models — drag polar, T/W–W/S constraint sets, parametric sweeps — to quantify carrier-suitability margins and drive configuration trade decisions.

Spring 2026

Project Manager

Wing in Ground Effect Vehicle · SDSU Senior Design

Managed requirements, schedule, and anomaly troubleshooting for a GEV prototype built through a rapid design–build–test–iterate cycle. Converted performance goals into airfoil/planform/CG trades, integrated sensors for data capture, executed controlled near-surface tests, reduced data, and validated improvements through re-test and documentation.

Sept 2025 — Present

Inside Sales Engineer Intern

DMG Corporation · San Diego, CA

Provide operational support to outside sales engineers — generating quotes, securing vendor pricing, processing sales orders and POs, coordinating with manufacturers, and managing customer status communications.

Fall 2023 — Fall 2024

External Structures Engineer

SDSU Rocket Project

Performed structural analysis and iterative testing on rocket launch lugs, refining SolidWorks CAD and drawings for manufacturability and subsystem integration. Collaborated in cross-team design reviews to meet structural and schedule constraints.

Fall 2025 — Present

President

San Diego Sales Engineers (National Society of Sales Engineers) · SDSU

Lead chapter operations, planning networking sessions and technical workshops on sales engineering. Represented SDSU at the National Sales Engineering Conference (NSEC) in 2024 and 2025.

What I work with.

CAD & Design

SolidWorks GD&T DFM Rapid Prototyping

Simulation & Analysis

ANSYS NX Nastran (FEA) MATLAB Simulink XFLR5

Programming & Automation

Python VBA Git / GitHub HTML / CSS / JS

Documentation & Tools

LaTeX Bluebeam Revu MS Office Google Suite

Fabrication

MIG / TIG Welding Machining Woodworking Prototype Assembly

Coursework

Feedback Flight Control Aircraft Propulsion Aerodynamics Structural Dynamics Astrodynamics Spacecraft Attitude Dynamics

Beyond engineering.

Chapter President — Kappa Alpha Order

2024 · Earned IFC Most Improved Chapter

Led a 170+ member chapter with an executive board and 20+ chairs, managing a $200K+ annual budget. Drove measurable gains in membership, engagement, and overall performance — earning institutional recognition as IFC Most Improved Chapter.

🔧

Fabrication & Personal Projects

Welding · Modular Stage Design

Co-led the design and fabrication of a custom 800-lb steel stage for charity events using advanced welding and SolidWorks. Separately designed and built a 700 ft² modular stage system emphasizing repeatable assembly and interchangeable modules.

Let's connect.

Graduating May 2026 from SDSU. Joining True Anomaly this summer as a Program Manager Intern — and open to full-time aerospace and defense roles starting fall 2026.

Prefer to review a PDF?

Download Resume