Ready for Take Off - ST Engineering Antycip announce IT FLIES USA 2026

IT FLIES is inviting students from around the world to bring their aircraft designs to life in a real-time engineering flight simulation environment.

ST Engineering Antycip (Antycip) is delighted to announce the return of IT FLIES USA, the international aircraft design and flight simulation competition taking place on Saturday, March 28th, 2026, at the School of Engineering, University of Dayton (Ohio).

IT FLIES brings together aerospace engineering students from across the globe to experience something truly unique: seeing their aircraft designs evaluated in real time on a professional engineering flight simulator. The competition is powered by Merlin flight simulation technology, giving participants access to the same level of fidelity used in aerospace research and training.

Recognised for its distinctive format, IT FLIES challenges students not only to design an aircraft, but to demonstrate its real-world handling qualities. Each entry is flown by a professional test pilot on a Merlin simulator, giving students an authentic insight into how their aircraft performs throughout ground handling, take-off, climb, cruise, approach and landing. This mirrors the real-life design–simulate–validate cycle used across the aviation industry and offers valuable hands-on experience for future aerospace engineers.

Participants deliver a concise presentation of their design before the test flight. A panel of judges evaluates each project for innovation, technical robustness and mission effectiveness. Over the years, IT FLIES has become a showcase for emerging aerospace creativity, featuring everything from conventional fixed-wing aircraft to novel eVTOL, UAV and hybrid concepts. Increasingly recognised by universities internationally, IT FLIES offers institutions both visibility and a powerful experiential learning opportunity that enriches their engineering programmes.

“We are proud to support students with a competition that connects academic learning with the realities of modern aerospace engineering,” says Amir Khosh, Commercial Solutions Manager at Antycip. “Watching a test pilot fly your design is a powerful moment — it transforms engineering theory into something tangible.”

IT FLIES is open to universities worldwide, with options available for teams who do not have access to a Merlin simulator. Registration is now open. For further information or to register for IT FLIES USA 2026, please contact: merlin@steantycip.com

Because when students design it, and test pilots fly it, the future of aviation takes off.