The Pennington School’s Aviation Club team recently won second place in the GAMA Design Challenge, competing against more than 60 teams across the nation.
The competition, sponsored by the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA), challenged high school students to design a plane using flight simulation software. The planes were evaluated based on how fast they could fly and how much weight they could carry.
The GAMA Design Challenge began in January; during that month the team studied the science of aviation and airplane design, then entered the official competition in March, according to information provided by The Pennington School.
The judges said, “The Pennington team’s design incorporated an increased wingspan and area, increased engine power, and a streamlined fuselage.”
As a prize, the team will receive a custom aviation course from Redbird Flight Simulations.
Led by Teacher of Science Ryan Vogt, Pennington’s aviation club team is co-captained by Jonathan Eaton ’22 and Jack Wang ’21, and includes William Arthur ’24, Nicholas Callan ’23, Gavin Cui ’22, Sebastian Drezek ’24, Michael Krajci ’21, Avani Prakash ’22, Charles Sanders ’21, and Elias Sebti ’24.