Future Aircraft Designers Tie For First Place At IT FLIES UK 2018

The winning designs from Kristian Groot and Clayton Humphreys-Jennings were a business jet / flying boat, and a blended wing aircraft.

The nine designs entered were flown and assessed by test pilots Dave Southwood and Gordon McClymont on Manchester’s MP521 simulator. Each entry was assessed for ground control, take off and initial climb out, cruise stability and control, stall, and final approach and landing.

The prize for the Most Innovative Design went to James Ellis from The University of Manchester, who also won the best Project Presentation Prize, for his next generation strike aircraft designed to replace the Harrier.

James said ‘The designs showcased were highly diverse in nature from flying boats to fighter jets and everything in between. It was most interested to see how the design process varies between different universities .Even though it was a competition, the atmosphere between the students from the UK and overseas was very friendly throughout. I feel honoured to have been able to compete in IT FLIES UK. After hundreds of hours of work, finally seeing the project come together is a tremendous feeling of achievement.’