Crawley secondary school ‘taking flight’ as it closes in on victory in national STEM competition

The challenge saw students tasked with designing, building, and flying a four-bladed, remotely piloted air system- known as a quadcopter.

Following a close fought contest team Willow was crowned winner and will be the first ever team from Crawley to compete in the grand final at a central RAF location.

The competition started seven years ago and this year’s students had to consider sustainability as they designed and built their quadcopter: from the materials they incorporated to the planet-saving purpose of their quadcopter.

Hosted by local Raytheon Technologies STEM Ambassadors at Ifield Community College yesterday, students delivered a short presentation to show how they developed their designs, what modifications they made and how they worked as a team. They then flew their quadcopters through a timed obstacle course, making real-time spot repairs.

Mentoring students throughout the process, Raytheon Technologies STEM Ambassadors also supported teams by visiting schools, hosting workshops and guiding pupils on how to conceptualise, design, build and fly their own quadcopter.

Raytheon UK Engineering director, Alex Rose-Parfitt said: “The standard of this year’s competition entries is high, and it’s wonderful to see how students are using their imagination to find solutions to real-world, environmental issues that are impacting us all.

“We’re passionate about helping young people get into STEM so it’s great to see the potential of these future engineers and how STEM can be applied in so many different ways.”

This year has seen the highest number of students participate, with over 92 teams, 41 schools and Air Cadet groups and 500 students. The final will now see the final 11 teams compete for the crown as they will be judged on their design, flying ability and presentation.

Since it began seven years ago, the quadcopter challenge has continued to expand. This year saw the challenge reach all four nations of the United Kingdom.

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Raytheon Technologies is an aerospace and defence company that provides advanced systems and services for commercial, military and government customers worldwide.