RTX Quadcopter Challenge champions crowned
Image courtesy RTX
Coming in at close second and third places were The Cottesloe Recovery Team from The Cottesloe School in Luton and The Tarzans from St Malachy’s High School, Kilkeel.
Now in its ninth year, RTX’s Quadcopter Challenge is an annual competition bringing together innovative young minds from across the UK to put their STEM skills to the test. Since it began in 2015 over 1,700 students have taken part from 178 schools and cadet groups.
Teams from participating schools have been advised and mentored by some of the UK’s best engineering talent from across RTX businesses Raytheon UK, Collins Aerospace and Pratt & Whitney Canada. Glacial Flyers performance saw them beat over 100 teams to the award.
“The RTX Quadcopter Challenge is a key platform to help the STEM leaders of tomorrow build their skillset,” said Alex Rose-Parfitt, director of engineering at Raytheon UK. “We are providing the opportunity for students to explore the world of STEM and create pathways for them to enter the aerospace and defence sector – all while having fun.”
This year’s theme of 'Extreme Locations: Breaking the boundaries of exploration' challenged the students to dive into the unknown and modify an existing quadcopter design to ensure it can reach extreme locations and gather data. Equipping us to combat natural disasters, address climate change challenges to help protect our planet and explore the unknown, including areas of global warming, such as polar ice caps.
A record 101 teams and 259 students and cadets took part in this year's competition, with 15 teams from regions across the UK making it to the final.
Glacial Flyers (above) stood out for showing outstanding teamwork and innovative STEM solutions.
Ali Bachar, systems engineering graduate and Quadcopter 2024 judge said: “The students showed real ingenuity and came up with ideas that are outside the box, resulting in them completing the Quadcopter cages in record times of 23 and 25 seconds.”
On what it was like to win the challenge this year, student Arnie said: “The challenge has shown me the different opportunities within STEM that you can follow. Its been an amazing journey with my friends to get here.”
RTX’s UK operations include Collins Aerospace, Pratt & Whitney and Raytheon UK. The company supports jobs in every region of the UK and has a strong presence across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, spanning 30+ locations. As part of this investment, RTX supports with upskilling, training, people and technology.
For more information about the Quadcopter Final: www.raytheon.co.uk/who-we-are/environmental-social-and-governance/people
