The General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) has named Porter High School in Porter, Texas, the winner of the 2025 GAMA Aviation Design Challenge. Cambridge High School in Milton, Georgia, and El Segundo High School in California placed second and third, respectively.
Porter’s team of four included Jocelyn Alfaro, Alex Espada, Major Renard, and Eris Rodgers. Their modifications featured an extended wingspan with leading-edge slats, propeller efficiency improvements, and a T-tail configuration. The team’s prize includes a manufacturing experience at CubCrafters and demonstration flight opportunities.
Cambridge High School’s entry featured aerodynamic changes to the wing chord and stabilizers, along with propeller refinements. They will receive a two-day Redbird Flight STEM Lab experience. El Segundo High School’s design showcased iterative refinements and mission-focused adjustments and earned a ForeFlight subscription and a facility tour of Robinson Helicopter.
More than 70 high school teams from 24 states entered this year’s competition. After learning the basics of flight and design through the Fly to Learn curriculum, students used X-Plane software to simulate a modified Cessna 208 Caravan tasked with flying as fast as possible while carrying maximum payload between two Himalayan locations.
GAMA president and CEO James Viola praised all participating teams and sponsors, which included Cirrus, Garmin, Gulfstream, Textron Aviation, and others. The challenge is supported by industry partners that contributed curriculum resources, simulation software, and in-kind prizes.