The GAMA event, now in its 13th year, is designed to encourage teens to seek careers in the aviation sector. The contest is open to high school students enrolled in aviation-focused STEM courses.

• READ MORE: Raisbeck Aviation High Awarded GAMA Honors

“This program provides a great introduction for students to learn more about aviation and the diverse career opportunities that the industry has to offer,” GAMA president and CEO Pete Bunch said in a statement. “We continue to upgrade and refine the experience so that we can further engage both students and teachers. Each year, we are awed by the creativity and devotion to detail from each team’s submissions, and we look forward to seeing what they come up with for this year’s challenge.”

How It Works

The challenge is open to the first 150 schools that register. Each school receives a free “Fly to Learn” curriculum, which meets national STEM standards and is designed to teach the principles of airplane design and flight. 

At the end of the program, which covers four to six weeks, the teams apply their newly acquired knowledge to virtually modify an airplane design. These modified designs will then participate in a fly-off using X-Plane software.

• READ MORE: Students Modify a CubCrafters NX Cub for GAMA’s Aviation Design Challenge

The designs are then evaluated during the fly-off and other performance parameters set by GAMA judges. The first-place team will receive an all-expenses-paid GA experience, which includes a CubCrafters manufacturing opportunity. The second-place team will get a Redbird Flight STEM Lab. The third-place winners will earn one-year ForeFlight Performance Plus subscriptions.

According to GAMA, the Aviation Design Challenge has attracted the participation of more than 900 teams from 475 high schools from around the country since its inception.

More information about the competition may be found here. Registration closes December 20, or once all available slots are filled.

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Held annually, the competition is designed to promote STEM education for high school students. It is open to the first 150 teams—one per school—that register and culminates in a virtual fly-off. 2024 will be the 12th year for the challenge.

“Hands-on experience with the industry offers a tremendous value to student learning,” said Michael Capuana, director of 2018 winning high school Erie 1 BOCES Career & Technical Education in West Seneca, New York. “As we need more young people to enter STEM careers, all efforts to increase student engagement are embraced. Thank you to GAMA and its partners for their efforts. This opportunity is truly one of a kind.”

• READ MORE: Calling All Students: GAMA Launches Annual Aviation Design Challenge

To start the contest, schools participating in the challenge receive GAMA’s “Fly to Learn” curriculum along with X-Plane-powered flight simulation software. The materials are designed to be taught in four to six weeks and guide students through the “science of flight and airplane design.” Teams must then use what they learn to modify a virtual aircraft for a specified mission profile.

The final stage of the competition is a virtual fly-off, where teams must complete the simulated mission using their modified designs. Entries are scored based on aerodynamic and performance parameters. Winners are decided based on the fly-off results and other factors that have in years past included items such as a checklist of steps related to a virtual demonstration flight and video submission summarizing what they learned.

The team placing first will receive an all-expenses-paid trip to “experience general aviation manufacturing firsthand.” Second place earns a two-day STEM lab hosted by Redbird Flight Simulations. Challenge entries will be submitted in April with winners announced in May.

More information about GAMA’s Aviation Design Challenge is available here.

The post 2024 GAMA Aviation Design Challenge Registration to Close Soon appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

The General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) has kicked off its 2022 Aviation Design Challenge. It’s part of the association’s effort to promote careers in aviation, as well as science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education in U.S. high schools.

The challenge, in its 10th year, is open to the first 150 schools that register. Schools will receive a free “Fly to Learn” curriculum, which is aligned with national STEM standards, to facilitate the learning of flight and airplane design principles. Teachers can guide their students through the curricula in four to six weeks through in-person and virtual settings. The teams will then virtually modify an airplane design and complete a mission in a fly-off using X-Plane software.

“This valuable program provides students with the opportunity to learn about the science of flight, the mechanics of creating aircraft, and the exciting career opportunities available in the general aviation industry,” said Pete Bunce, GAMA’s president and CEO.

Submissions will be scored by GAMA judges based on the fly-off and other performance parameters. The winning team will receive an all-expenses-paid general aviation experience. The second-place team will receive a STEM Lab Camp, provided by Redbird Flight Simulations, an industry leading manufacturer of aviation training devices and tools.

Since its inception in 2013, the Aviation Design Challenge has had more than 600 teams participate, representing more than 400 high schools from 46 states and Washington, D.C.

For more information or to register, click here.

Previous Winners

2021: Raisbeck Aviation High School in Tukwila, Washington

2020: Riverwood International Charter School in Sandy Springs, Georgia

2019: Hayesville High School in Hayesville, North Carolina

2018: Erie 1 BOCES Harkness Career and Technical Center in Cheektowaga, New York

2017: Olney High School in Olney, Texas

The post Calling All Students: GAMA Launches Annual Aviation Design Challenge appeared first on FLYING Magazine.