Team Was the Best Of 60 Competitors

The General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) announced that the winner of the 2024 GAMA Aviation Design Challenge is the team from Raisbeck Aviation High School in Tukwila, Washington. Taking second place was the Porter High School team in Porter, Texas, and the third-place award went to the Gonzaga College High School team in Washington, D.C.

More than 60 high school teams representing 28 states from around the country vied for the awards. The competition consists of two phases: The first phase follows the “Fly to Learn” curriculum during which teams learn the basic principles of flight and aircraft design that adhere to national STEM education standards. The second phase is applying that knowledge to modify a virtual aircraft design to win a virtual fly-off using the X-plane flight simulation software.

The mission for this year’s challenge was to modify a Cessna 208 Caravan to fly as quickly and efficiently as possible from Homer to Seward, Alaska. The goal was to maximize speed and efficiency to successfully navigate between two remote locations with high terrain. Teams were judged on performance parameters, a checklist of steps in the demo flight, and a video submission describing what the team learned from the process.

The Raisbeck team’s design mods involved a streamlined fuselage, low two-section wings with fast airfoils, and higher horsepower. Their first-place prize includes a CubCrafters Manufacturing Experience, real live demo flight opportunities, and more.

GAMA President and CEO Pete Bunce said, “Once again, the teams participating in the GAMA Aviation Design Challenge continue to amaze us with their dedication and enthusiasm for aviation and unique perspectives on aircraft design. We congratulate the Raisbeck Aviation High School team for their outstanding first-place submission and also recognize the teams from Porter High School and Gonzaga College High School for their respective second and third-place submissions. We applaud all the schools for participating and are particularly proud of the hard work that they all put into their submissions. We look forward to furthering the reach of the program and sparking student interest into the rewarding opportunities within general aviation.”

The Raisbeck team advisors commented, “The GAMA Challenge is one of the highlights of the school year for team members at Raisbeck. This year's team really had a fun leaning experience with the bigger turbine powered Caravan flying in Alaska. They were really excited to learn their design had won first place and are looking forward to the CubCrafters Manufacturing Experience.” The team added, “No plane, no gain.” 

FMI: www.gama.aero/opportunities-in-ga/aviation-challenge/, www.flytolearn.com/