Sponsorship
For Prospective Sponsors:
By forming a partnership with your organization, we are inviting you to become an active member of our team. In aiding the U of T Human-Powered Ornithopter Project, you will be supporting our mutual goals and expressing a desire to effect change in the way we live. In addition, your company will gain the recognition and prestige associated with the success of a human-powered ornithopter.
Although the U of T HPO Project is a student organization, only a portion of our funding is provided through the University. The success of our efforts is dependent upon your organization’s contributions and generous support. In addition to financial support, donations in the form of composites, materials, and construction tools are also greatly appreciated, as these costs comprise a significant portion of the team’s project budget.
If you're interested in becoming a sponsor and joining our team, please download our sponsorship package here.
Our Current Sponsors:
We'd like to thank the following sponsors for their commitment to this project. What we have accomplished so far and what we intend to accomplish would not be possible without their help and support.
![]()
Gold Sponsors:

Derk Thys, Thys Industrial Designs
Derk Thys designs and fabricates the world's premier rowingbike, a recumbent bike powered by a rowing motion. Thys Industrial Designs has more than twenty years of experience designing high-quality and efficient mechanisms for this kind of propulsion. The HPO team has been collaborating with Derk for several years now, and the drive mechanism in the aircraft is based largely on his perfected designs.

University of Toronto Full-Time Undergraduate Engineering Students
The University of Toronto Engineering students contribute annually to the HPO team in the form of a faculty-wide levy. The U of T Engineering Faculty, ranked 1st in Canada by the Times Higher Education Rankings, is committed not only to high-calibre academics but also to encouraging well-rounded students through their interests and experiences outside the classroom.
![]()
Silver Sponsors:

Advanced Composite Aircraft
Advanced Composite Aircraft is Canada's exclusive distributor of the Lambada and Samba XXL, two state-of-the-art and very efficient ultra-light consumer aircraft.

Cleland Instruments Ltd.
Cleland Instruments designs and builds sophisticated musical instruments using the latest in materials and processes. The company's current focus is a line of marching band drums based on their proprietary patented technology.

DuPont Canada, Advanced Fibre Systems
DuPont Canada's Kevlar(TM) brand aramid fibre is suitable for a myriad of applications but is used in the HPO in its structural composite capacity, in which it combines ideal light-weight and high-strength properties.

Pratt & Whitney Canada
Pratt & Whitney Canada is a world leader in the design, manufacture and service of aircraft engines powering business, general aviation and regional aircraft and helicopters.

Skule(TM) Alumni Annual Fund
The U of T Engineering Alumni Association is dedicated to keeping the faculty's alumni in touch and active, with the Alumni Fund focused on enhancing the student experience here at Skule(TM).
![]()
Bronze Sponsors:

Concept II
Concept II produces the world's leading rowing machine, and their expertise is utilized in the HPO Project for training our pilots.

Division of Engineering Science, Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering, University of Toronto
The Division of Engineering Science at the University of Toronto is dedicated to developing leading practitioners in the engineering sciences and responsible global citizens, a vision shared by the HPO Project.

Kjell Dahlberg
Kjell Dahlberg has many years of experience experimenting with flapping-wing and tail propulsion, and is the inventor of the "fan-effect".

Newport Adhesives and Composites
Newport has provided high-quality advanced composite products for aerospace, medical, industrial, and consumer applications for over 25 years.

SENES Consultants Limited
SENES is a Canadian-owned company that specializes in the fields of energy, nuclear, and environmental sciences. SENES graciously provided weather forecasting data, based on their state-of-the-art FReSH-4 modeling algorithm, for 2010 flight testing.

University of Toronto Institute for Aerospace Studies
UTIAS is a world-class aerospace department, and remains committed to contributing to the aerospace community through excellence in research, education, and innovation.