"Flying circus" soars to victory in national Aerospace Challenge

At an awards ceremony in central London the four-pupil team from King Edward VI Grammar School was presented with their trophy by the RAF's senior officer, Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Sir Glenn Torpy. The ceremony at the headquarters of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers was attended by senior RAF officers, captains of industry and embassy dignitaries from around the globe.

Sponsored by the RAF, the Schools Aerospace Challenge was devised ten years ago to introduce teams of four pupils per school or youth organisation across the UK to real-life design challenges they may encounter early in their science or technology-based careers. Each year the teams compete to research and design an aerospace project, the theme of which is set by the RAF.

The best teams are then invited to attend one of two residential courses at the School of Engineering, Cranfield University, during their summer break. Based on their entry and performance at Cranfield, the school was judged "Team of the Year" and will receive a prize of £5,000. The theme for this year's competition was based on "maintaining 24/7 persistence over the battlespace."

The School designed an unmanned surveillance aircraft with jet engines for take off, fuel tanks that could be jettisoned, a high-lift glider technology wing and solar panels to power the electronics while over the battlefield. The winning team comprised team captain Michael Lawson, aged 16, Christopher Bridge, aged 16, Ashley Lampshire, aged 16, and Jason Pompeus, aged 17. All are in the first year of their science A Levels. They beat two older teams from the same school for the coveted places at Cranfield.

Team captain Michael Lawson explained:

"Our teacher mentioned it to us and we quickly decided to enter under the name "Flying Circus." We made sure we built in aspects such as survivability and cost – and it doesn't come much better value for money than an unmanned glider with solar power."

Chief Examiner John Farley, a former Harrier test pilot, said:

"Their design had cost, adaptability and agility as its core, with the aircraft being able to operate in a number of roles. It was a most impressive and not unrealistic future aircraft proposal.

"The highlight of the summer school at Cranfield University, where the top teams developed their ideas, was a visit by Hawks of 19 and 208 Sqns, RAF Valley, and the chance to fly in a helicopter provided by one of our sponsors, Cabair," he added.

The competition – sponsored by top companies such as BAe, Rolls Royce, QinetiQ and Augusta Westland as well as by the RAF – is seen by schools and youth organisations as an excellent way of encouraging interest in and understanding of engineering and the challenging area of aerospace technology at an important time when pupils are considering their future careers. The RAF also recognises the possibility that some aspects of the designs may be incorporated into future capabilities.

Air Chief Marshal Torpy said:

"The Schools Aerospace Challenge has gone from strength to strength – it's important to remember that the entries of other teams were of an extremely high standard too and were also selected to compete at Cranfield this summer.

"The Challenge really achieves its objectives of encouraging enthusiasm in and enjoyment of engineering within an aviation context. This year the challenge captured the imagination of the young and stimulated their interest.

"The winning team has produced a design which plugs a capability shortfall in RAF operations – how to keep surveillance over the ground and provide an all-seeing, 24 hour picture. Although as a pilot I could not help noting their design is for an unmanned air vehicle, I am convinced the future RAF will have a balanced mix of manned and unmanned aircraft," he added.

At the end of the event the challenge for 2008 was announced by Air Marshal Sir Barry Thornton, Chief of Defence Materiel (Air). He said:

"The Tucano turboprop two-seat trainer came into service in 1988 and replaced the Jet Provost. Despite it being propeller-driven the Tucano had all the characteristics of a jet and bridged the gap between the basic trainer, the Tutor, and the Hawk advanced trainer. So the challenge for 2008 is to design a replacement for the Tucano."