The Aviation Design Challenge will be back for another year, according to Pete Bunce, president and CEO of the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA). Speaking yesterday at the EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wis., Bunce made the announcement at the show’s annual Build A Plane Teachers’ Day event. The contest, which was initiated in 2013, promotes interest in science, technology, engineering and math, the so-called STEM skills, among high schoolers. Last year it attracted entries from 79 schools in 33 states, as well as the District of Columbia–nearly triple the amount received in the inaugural year of the contest.
“GAMA is very pleased to once again sponsor this life-changing program to increase students’ knowledge of STEM and educate them about the many career possibilities in the general aviation manufacturing field,” said Bunce. “Almost all of our winners have said this experience has altered their professional goals and opened their eyes to aviation-related career paths, including piloting, engineering, maintenance and manufacturing.” He added that he is very excited to bring the program to even more schools next year.
The association will provide the “Fly to Learn” curriculum package to the first 100 teachers who enter the competition, along with five complementary copies of airplane design and simulation software for their classrooms. Based on the basics of aerospace design and engineering, students will modify and fly their virtual airplanes in the challenge. Teachers who are interested in entering their classes in the contest can email their name, school name, city and state to the organization at [email protected].