Washington, DC—The winners of the GAMA/Build A Plane 2016 Aviation Design Challenge will head to Glasair Aviation in Arlington, Washington to build a Glasair Sportsman airplane for the competition’s prize June 20-July 1, 2016. This is the fourth year Glasair has provided significant staff resources and space for the competition build to take place.
“We are delighted to work once again with our wonderful partners at Glasair Aviation on the Aviation Design Challenge build,” GAMA President and CEO Pete Bunce said. “Glasair’s staff have been tremendous mentors and educators in working side-by-side with the students, teaching them the basics of engineering, maintaining, piloting, and manufacturing aircraft, and inspiring them to consider general aviation as a career. I look forward to joining Mark Van Tine from Jeppesen for another build alongside members of our respective staffs. Mark and I will provide our young builders rides in a Sportsman during their time in Arlington.”
Nigel Mott, President of Glasair Aviation, added, “Once again, we are excited and honored to be able to share our love of aviation with a group of motivated young people. We are always impressed by the enthusiasm and willingness to learn of the students who spend the two weeks building a Sportsman. It is a highlight of each summer for all of us at Glasair.”
“When I share the details of this airplane-building opportunity with other aviators, almost 100 percent of them say the exact same thing: ‘Wow, I wish there was something like that when I was school!’,” noted Lyn Freeman, Founder of Build A Plane.
Students from 76 U.S. high schools are currently using Fly to Learn curriculum and software powered by X-Plane to learn the fundamentals of aerospace engineering. Between April 1-30, they will then apply those skills to modify and fly a virtual airplane on a specific mission. Judges from GAMA will select the winning school, which will be announced on May 12. Four students, a teacher, and a chaperone from the school will then receive an all-expenses-paid, two-week trip to Glasair Aviation to build the Sportsman.
GAMA member companies will supply the round-trip airfare, hotels, meals, and field trips to nearby aviation sites of interest. Sponsors include: BBA Aviation, Embraer, Garmin International, GE Aviation, Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation, Hartzell Propeller Inc., Jeppesen, Jet Aviation, Lycoming Engines, Rockwell Collins, Textron Aviation, and Wipaire, Inc.
GAMA will post photos and videos during the build on its Facebook page. For more information on the organizations involved in this competition, please visit gama.aero, buildaplane.org, glasairaviation.com, and flytolearn.com.